Yushin Okami believes he is in the best shape of his life ahead of Leandro Ataides showdown

Yushin Okami makes his ONE middleweight debut against Leandro Ataides at ONE: Heavy Hitters next Friday, January 14.

Despite being 40 years old, the Japanese MMA icon feels like he is at the peak of his abilities.

Okami wants to use this match at the Singapore Indoor Stadium as a chance to show the matchmakers why he should still be considered a legitimate threat in the division.

Yushin Okami told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:

“I am 40 years old. I believe that I am at my strongest now, with all my experience, conditioning, and physicality. I believe I’m at my best, and I’ve been training hard.”

Okami also put a timeframe for when he could be challenging for the ONE middleweight world title:

“I don’t have time to take it easy and take a lot of fights because of my age. So if I can beat him, I’ll be able to get a middleweight title fight soon. I’ll get the belt within the year – that’s all I’m thinking about.”

Yushin Okami has seen it all throughout his 19-year professional MMA career.

He has witnessed the sport grow into one of the most attractive sporting industries since 2002. With 50 fights on his stellar resume – inevitably – the Japanese MMA icon has started turning his attention towards coaching future MMA prospects.

Thoughts about retiring had also crossed his mind over the past 24 months. However, while training his students, Yushin Okami revealed that he picked up something which inspired him to carry on his journey.

“There were times when I felt like I was going to shift my focus from being an active fighter to being an instructor. But by training with them, I was able to make it this far without extinguishing my flame. I’m thankful to them.”

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Yushin Okami breaks down Ataides’ greatest strengths

The Japanese is confident in his abilities and expects to secure a win against the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion. However, Okami knows what he has to look out for when he goes toe-to-toe with Ataides.

His opponent is a dangerous competitor across all departments of the discipline. Ataides can grapple Okami if he needs to, and if he senses a small hole within his rival's defense, the Brazilian can catch the veteran with his quick and powerful strikes.

The Japanese fighter recognizes all of these, but points out that he too can catch Ataides when the Brazilian least expects it.

“Of course, his strengths are his physicality and power. He gathers all his power and attacks at the right moment. His weakness is that he has rough and messy parts. If I point out those parts of him carefully, I think his vulnerability will come out.”