TOKYO – By his own admission, Yushin Okami (28-7 MMA, 12-4 UFC) is still quite a few wins away from another shot at the UFC’s middleweight belt. So with a wrestling-first fighting style that hasn’t always proved overly crowd-pleasing, could Okami be in danger of becoming the middleweight division’s Jon Fitch?

“I was surprised they released Jon Fitch, but of course the UFC has their own thoughts,” Okami told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through an interpreter. “That’s nothing that I should be worried about or be concerned about. I only need to fight my own fight and worry about myself.”

Fitch, of course, has been the subject of much discussion following his surprise release from the promotion this past week despite spending years as one of the world’s top-rated welterweights. In many ways, Okami’s career has mirrored that of Fitch. After all, his winning record has led UFC President Dana White to label Okami the best Japanese export in MMA today. However, following a one-sided loss to middleweight champion Anderson Silva, even Okami knows he’s several fights away from another shot at “The Spider.”

“I still feel Anderson Silva is quite far away, timewise,” Okami admitted. “But a lot of good fighters are in the middleweight division, so I have to win against them, too, before I reach the championship title match.”

That effort continues this weekend, when Okami meets former Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard at UFC on FUEL TV 8. The card takes place Sunday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and airs in the U.S. on Saturday night due to the time difference. Okami also fought in Japan at this past year’s UFC 144 event, where the Japanese fighter was handed a disappointing third-round TKO loss to Tim Boetsch.

He’s since rebounded with much-needed wins over Alan Belcher and Buddy Roberts, and now he seeks redemption in front of his countrymen.

“Unfortunately, last time when I fought in Japan, it was not a good result,” Okami said. “So I hope this time that I can give my fans a better fight and a better win.

“As far as pressure is concerned, I’m trying not to feel it. Maybe I will on Sunday, but I think all of that is always included when you’re fighting on your home ground. That is something you have to overcome.”

Lombard might also be in a precarious position – a high-priced free agent who disappointed in his UFC debut but bounced back more recently with an impressive finish of Rousimar Palhares. Lombard has predicted Okami will look to slow the action down and look to grind out a win, and the Cuban judoka has promised to instead push forward with an aggressive plan.

Okami insists he’ll be ready.

“That’s kind of his way of fighting, to look for the knockout,” Okami said. “I have to be prepared for that, and of course I like to do the fight in my own style, and I think that’s all there is to it.”

But is it really? Time will only tell. Could Okami have more on the line that he’s ready to admit? He doesn’t want to discuss it. Right now, it’s Lombard and an increasingly deep 185-pound division.

“I’m very motivated,” Okami said. “There’s a lot of good fighters in the middleweight class right now, and I think I have to win one bout at a time. Of course, my next bout is with Hector, and I think it’s a big test for me to win this match.”

For more on UFC on FUEL TV 8, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.