UFC despede Yushin Okami

The UFC has released perennial Japanese contender Yushin Okami (29-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC).

MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the company's decision with UFC officials.

Okami's UFC run lasted more than seven years, and included four separate winning streaks of at least three fights. A top-ranked fighter throughout his tenure in the promotion, UFC President Dana White once labeled Okami as "the best fighter to ever come out of Japan."

That praise was offered up after Okami went 10-2 in his first 12 UFC appearances and earned a shot at then-champ Anderson Silva at UFC 134, which took place in August 2011 in Rio de Janeiro. Okami suffered a second-round TKO loss and fell short in his one shot at UFC gold. He would lose again in his next outing, a surprising TKO loss to Tim Boetsch.

Despite his numerous UFC wins, Okami was often criticized for his wrestling-heavy fighting style, which saw him earn eight of his 13 career UFC wins by decision.

Okami fought most recently at "UFC Fight Night 28: Teixeira vs. Bader," where he suffered a first-round TKO stoppage at the hands of Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for Okami that saw him earn wins over Hector Lombard, Alan Belcher and Buddy Roberts. Despite the loss, Okami still sits at No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA middleweight rankings.

The 32-year-old "Thunder" trains primarily in his native Japan but has also been a frequent training partner of Chael Sonnen in recent years. He leaves the UFC with career wins over MMA notables Dean Lister, Nate Marquardt, Mark Munoz, Mike Swick and Evan Tanner, among others. He was 3-3 in his final six octagon appearances.

Okami's final two UFC fights took place in Brazil and Japan, where salaries are not revealed. However for his December 2012 win over Belcher, his disclosed pay was $84,000, which includes a $42,000 win bonus.