UFC 69 middleweight bout: Mike Swick (184) vs. Yushin Okami (184)
This should be a very good fight. Swick is originally from Houston and gets a nice cheer from the crowd. The referee is Mario Yamasaki.
In the first round, the two fighters feel each other out for the first couple of minutes, striking from a distance. Okami finally scores a takedown near the fence and tries to ground and pound from half-guard. Okami attempts a Kimura before the end of the round, but Swick escapes. I give the first round to Okami.
In the second round, the two fighters again maintain a distance on their feet. Okami takes Swick down about halfway through the round. Okami again attempts to ground and pound, this time from full-guard. The ref stands the two up after inactivity. On their feet, Swick forces the issue with some punches. But, Okami scores another takedown before the ref stands the two up. Swick finishes the round with a flurry of punches that appear to rock Okami. This end to the round makes it a very close round. I give the round to Swick for the flurry at the end.
In the third round, the two fighters are more active on their feet. However, Okami takes Swick down and has him in full-mount. Okami is dominating from this position for a couple of minutes with punches and choke attempts. However, Swick reverses position and is on top, but he can't do anything from this position as the round ends. I give Okami the third round.
I score this fight a win for Okami 29-28.
Result: Yushin Okami wins the fight by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).






Kevin Richardson has been a fan of mixed martial arts competition ever since UFC 3, when 600-pound sumo wrestler Emmanuel Yarborough was beaten by Keith Hackney. Kevin will cover the world of MMA — in Baltimore, nationally and internationally. He plans to take readers into the locker rooms and MMA schools, where they'll hear from local fighters and trainers. If you have a news tip or suggestions for the blog, please 