Okami in for Shogun against Saint Preux 
Australian MMA fans are keen to get a punt on the UFC Fight Night 117 card this Saturday, with 11 bouts scheduled for the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. They got some disappointing news last Saturday, though: Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rau has been withdrawn from his scheduled light-heavyweight main event against American Ovince Saint Preux.
The Brazilian former UFC light-heavyweight champion has suffered a knee injury, so Shogun fans won’t be seeing the rematch they’ve been waiting for since November 2014. In that UFC Fight Night 56 bout, St Preux was a late replacement for injured Jimi Manuwa, and he inflicted the fastest knockout loss the Brazilian has suffered in his career, in just 24 seconds.
Shogun’s revenge will now have to wait, however. His replacement in Japan this Saturday is a local veteran: 36-year-old Yushin Okami. His MMA record stands on 34 wins from 44 fights; 11 by knockout, 6 by submission, 16 by decision and one disqualification. His 10 losses reflect a balanced 5 knockouts and 5 decisions; he has never tapped out.
Saint Preux Odds-On to Triumph
Despite his solid record, Okami hasn’t fought on the UFC circuit since September 2013, although he has remained active in the World Series of Fighting and the Professional Fighters League. Saint Preux, currently No. 7 on the UFC light-heavyweight rankings, has fought twice this year; a narrow loss by split decision against Jan Blachowicz in February, and a chokehold submission victory against Marcos Rogerio de Lima in April.
As is to be expected, online sports betting sites reckon Saint Preux will take another victory on Saturday. The American is odds-on, offering betting returns of only 16c on the dollar. Most pundits reckon he will have no trouble if he can get his opponent on his back in a clinch; on top, Saint Preux is lethal.
To pull off an upset, the Japanese fighter is going to have to stay on his feet and trap Saint Preux against the fence; the American’s Achilles heel. If Okami can defy the odds, he’ll reward punters backing him with $4.00. You can get your bets in online at Luxbet and see if you can back the winner and win big yourself too.
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Fred Johnson is an avid sports betting enthusiast and a qualified journalist. He discovered online betting while at college, and it piqued his interest. Fred has found a way to combine his love of sports and betting with his journalism career, and he always has his finger on the pulse of what’s happening in every arena. He’s not only keen on sports of all kinds, he is set on providing readers with an unbalanced, unbiased view of what’s going on in the world. He’s a valuable member of the australianbettingsites.org team, and brings a wealth of expertise to the table.
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