A legend falls, a replacement rises—Japan gets chaos instead of a rematch.
UFC Fight Night 117: Saint Preux vs. Okami was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 23, 2017 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. A light heavyweight rematch between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Maurício Rua and former interim title challenger Ovince Saint Preux was expected to headline this event. Rua withdrew from the fight due to a knee injury and was replaced by returning veteran, former UFC Middleweight Championship challenger Yushin Okami.
Practical Effects
Real unscripted violence—no stunt doubles, no second takes, just consequences.
Production
Saitama Super Arena's electric Japanese crowd elevates every undercard scrap.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Von Flue choke Saint Preux used is so rare it's literally named after a TUF 1 veteran who popularized it—only a handful exist in UFC history.
Okami's return marked a symbolic homecoming; he'd been exiled from UFC in 2013 despite being a title challenger, making this Saitama redemption arc almost too poetic.
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