Japanese middleweight Yushin Okami first sought guidance from Team Quest after one of its brightest standouts, Chael Sonnen, bested him at UFC 104. Now he’s back again as he prepares for a fight vs Nate Marquardt that could vault him into title contention.

“I’ve gotten many techniques from Team Quest, so now I believe I have more power than Nate,” he told MMAjunkie.com..

“I’m not thinking about the title fight. I’m thinking about the challenge that’s facing me right now, and my game plan to win this fight.”

“I learned the importance of going forward and not waiting to attack,” Okami said of his most recent fight, a split decision win over Mark Munoz in March at UFC on Versus 2 . “To go hard physically and mentally.”

“[Okami is] going to have a lot more power in the clinch than Nate, and I think even his punching, too,” Team Quest co-founder Matt Lindland said.

Of the regulatory trouble that Sonnen currently faces, Okami supports his new teammate. “He’s innocent, he said. “I trained with Chael and I think he’s innocent [because] of his personality.”

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