According to Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, former UFC heavyweight champion and his training partner, Silva will fight Yushin Okami, the last opponent to defeat him (by DQ at Rumble on the Rock 8, in 2006), trying to set a new record of nine straight title defenses in the UFC.
MMAJunkie added further detail to the scenario:
Before officials consider booking Silva vs. Okami, they are going to wait to see the outcome of UFC 129’s main event, between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields.
A source close to the negotiations said officials haven’t completely cooled on the idea of Silva fighting welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who meets Jake Shields later this month at UFC 129.
Okami is considered a likely backup plan if St-Pierre losses or if officials and the fighters’ camps decide Silva vs. St-Pierre doesn’t make sense at the current time.
