UFC Fight Night 117: Saint Preux vs. Okami | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Tito Wordsmith
- May 20
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 117: Saint Preux vs. Okami took place on Saturday, September 23, 2017 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan — broadcast live on FX to 502,000 average viewers (622k peak, 416k FS1 prelims). The card drew 8,571 fans — the lowest-ever UFC attendance at Saitama Super Arena. It was the fifth UFC event at the arena and the first since UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson in September 2015. The main event was a light heavyweight bout between Ovince Saint Preux and Yushin Okami — a short-notice replacement after original headliner Mauricio Shogun Rua withdrew the day before the event.
Saint Preux submitted Okami with a Von Flue choke at 1:50 of round one — his third UFC Von Flue choke finish, a record no other UFC fighter has matched. OSP earned Performance of the Night. Jessica Andrade and Claudia Gadelha earned Fight of the Night for their bloody lopsided Women’s SBW co-main event. Gokhan Saki earned the other Performance of the Night for his UFC debut KO of Henrique da Silva. Takanori Gomi won a first-round KO in his home country.
Saitama’s Unfortunate Record & A Short-Notice Main Event
Saitama Super Arena is one of Japan’s most prominent indoor arenas, holding approximately 37,000 for concerts. UFC events there had drawn 21,000 (UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson), 14,682 (UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann), 12,395 (UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson), and 10,137 (UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson) in previous visits. The 8,571 attendance for FN117 was the lowest by a significant margin — a commercially disappointing return that media noted as setting an unfortunate record.
The main event’s short-notice context added to the card’s commercial challenges. Mauricio Shogun Rua had been scheduled to face Saint Preux, providing a marquee name for the Japan market. Rua withdrew due to injury the day before the event — September 22. UFC Japan called on Yushin Okami, a Japanese MW who had previously been released from the UFC. Okami accepted on extremely short notice. The reshuffled main event produced one of OSP’s most historically notable finishes, but the last-minute circumstances made it difficult to market.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, September 23, 2017 (Japan; 5th UFC at Saitama Super Arena; lowest attendance ever at the venue)
📍 Venue: Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
👥 Attendance: 8,571 (LOWEST ever at Saitama Super Arena; previous low was 10,137)
📺 Broadcast: FX (main card) / Fox Sports 1 (prelims) — 502,000 avg. viewers (622k peak, 416k FS1 prelims)
🏆 Main Event: Ovince Saint Preux vs. Yushin Okami — LHW (SHORT NOTICE; Shogun Rua withdrew day before; Okami stepped in)
✅ Result: OSP def. Okami via Submission (Von Flue choke) — R1, 1:50 (PoN $50k; OSP’s 3rd career UFC Von Flue choke — record!)
Main Event: OSP’s Record-Setting 3rd Von Flue Choke
The Von Flue choke is applied when an opponent attempts a guillotine choke from the bottom position. As the top fighter postures out of the guillotine, they can apply pressure to the opponent’s neck using their shoulder and arm position. The choke compresses the carotid artery. It requires the opponent to first attempt a guillotine, giving the top fighter the opportunity to counter. Most UFC heavyweight and LHW fighters rarely face this submission.
Okami, who had limited time to prepare for a light heavyweight main event from a middleweight context, shot in for a takedown early. OSP defended, Okami attempted a guillotine, and OSP’s shoulder position immediately created the Von Flue opportunity. He applied it and Okami was asleep at 1:50 of round one. It was OSP’s third career UFC Von Flue choke finish — the others coming in previous UFC fights at Rochester in 2015 and Nashville in 2017. No other fighter in UFC history has finished a Von Flue choke more than once in the promotion.
Andrade’s Dominant FotN, Saki’s UFC Debut & The Card
Jessica Andrade’s unanimous decision over Claudia Gadelha (30-27x3) was lopsided enough that the scorecard numbers were unusual for a Fight of the Night designation — typically FotN goes to competitive fights. The FotN here reflected the physical intensity and blood shed in the fight rather than the competitive closeness. Both fighters are Brazilian and fought with the aggression the designation rewards. Andrade’s dominance across all three rounds was one of the more definitive wins in UFC Women’s SBW in 2017.
Gokhan Saki’s UFC debut KO of Henrique da Silva was the card’s most anticipated individual result. Saki — a Turkish-born Dutch kickboxer who had competed in K-1, GLORY, and other top kickboxing promotions for nearly a decade — was one of the most feared strikers in kickboxing history. His left hand had KO’d some of the sport’s most durable kickboxers. He deployed it in round one against da Silva at 4:45, earning Performance of the Night on his UFC debut.
Full Results
Main Card (FX)
Ovince Saint Preux def. Yushin Okami — Submission (Von Flue choke) — R1, 1:50 — LHW (PoN $50k; SHORT NOTICE for Okami; OSP’s RECORD 3rd UFC Von Flue choke)
Jessica Andrade def. Claudia Gadelha — Unanimous Decision (30-27x3) — Women’s SBW (FotN $50k each; lopsided dominant win; bloody fight)
Takanori Gomi def. Dong Hyun Ma — KO (punch) — R1, 1:30 — LW (GOMI WINS IN JAPAN!; Japanese crowd hero; home country KO win)
Gokhan Saki def. Henrique da Silva — KO (punch) — R1, 4:45 — LHW (PoN $50k; SAKI’S UFC DEBUT; kickboxing legend; left hand KO)
Teruto Ishihara def. [opponent] — FW
Jussier Formiga def. Ulka Sasaki — FW (Sasaki had won PoN at Singapore FN111)
Preliminary Card (FS1 / UFC Fight Pass)
Syuri Kondo def. Chan Mi Jeon — Women’s SBW
Shinsho Anzai def. Luke Jumeau — WW
Kondo vs. Jeon — Women’s SBW
[additional preliminary bouts]
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Jessica Andrade + Claudia Gadelha — $50,000 each
🥇 Performance of the Night: Ovince Saint Preux + Gokhan Saki — $50,000 each
Records & Milestones
• OSP’s 3rd UFC Von Flue choke finish — a record no other UFC fighter has equalled.
• Lowest attendance ever at Saitama Super Arena for a UFC event (8,571 vs. previous low of 10,137).
• Gokhan Saki’s UFC debut — the kickboxing legend’s first MMA competitive appearance.
Legacy & Impact
OSP’s Saitama Von Flue choke established him as the UFC’s definitive Von Flue choke specialist — a fighter who had not only applied the technique once but who had actively built a game plan around setting it up and executing it in multiple UFC appearances. His third Von Flue produced career recognition that his LHW contender record alone had not established. Jessica Andrade’s dominant win over Gadelha was a step toward the UFC Women’s SBW Championship she won at UFC 237 in May 2019 against Rose Namajunas.
Gokhan Saki’s UFC debut career was brief: he fought twice more in the UFC before his 2019 departure, losing to Khalil Rountree and winning over Henrique da Silva in a rematch. His kickboxing excellence did not translate immediately into competitive UFC LHW success. Takanori Gomi’s Saitama KO was his penultimate UFC appearance: he fought one more time before his departure, making his final UFC fight the subsequent November card. The Saitama attendance record set an unfortunate data point in the UFC’s Japan market history.
FAQ
What is the Von Flue choke and how does it work?
The Von Flue choke is applied when an opponent attempts a guillotine from the bottom position. As the top fighter works out of the guillotine by posturing up, they can apply shoulder-and-arm pressure to the side of the opponent’s neck, compressing the carotid artery. It requires the opponent to first attempt the guillotine, providing the setup. The technique is rare because most fighters who attempt guillotines either finish them or release them before the top fighter can set the Von Flue. OSP’s three UFC applications reflected consistent positioning and timing awareness.
Why was the Saitama attendance so low?
Multiple factors contributed: the main event’s short-notice replacement (Okami for Shogun Rua) limited commercial appeal; the UFC’s Japanese audience had been declining since the Pride FC era ended in 2007; the card’s overall name recognition was lower than the previous Saitama visits; and the Japanese MMA market’s commercial fragmentation made it difficult to drive mainstream attendance for a Fight Pass-era card. The 8,571 figure was the worst in Saitama’s UFC history by a margin of approximately 1,500 from the previous low.
Who was Gokhan Saki?
Saki was a 34-year-old Turkish-born Dutch kickboxer who had competed professionally in K-1, GLORY, and international kickboxing promotions since 2001. His left punch was considered one of the most dangerous in kickboxing: he had KO’d multiple world-class kickboxers with it. His UFC signing was the most high-profile kickboxer-to-MMA transition of 2017 at LHW. His debut KO of da Silva on the first punch was consistent with his profile, but subsequent MMA-specific challenges — wrestling and ground defence — limited his UFC career.
What was Jessica Andrade’s position after defeating Gadelha?
Andrade was a 26-year-old Brazilian SBW who had won seven of her previous eight UFC fights after Pittsburgh. Her dominant Saitama win over Gadelha — a top-three ranked SBW — put her in direct title contention. She subsequently earned a UFC Women’s SBW title fight, which materialised at UFC 237 in May 2019 against Rose Namajunas, whom she stopped with a dramatic slam in round one.
What was Yushin Okami’s significance?
Okami was a 35-year-old Japanese middleweight who had been one of the UFC’s most competitive top-ten MWs from 2009 to 2012, including a first-round KO of Anderson Silva that was later overturned to a NC due to an illegal knee. He had left the UFC after going 1-3 in his last four fights. His extremely short-notice return to face OSP in a different weight class — LHW rather than his natural MW — produced his fastest UFC loss. The Japan market’s connection to Okami as a local fighter made his booking the most viable last-minute replacement available.
What was Takanori Gomi’s Saitama win?
Gomi was a 35-year-old Japanese LW and crowd favourite at Saitama: his Pride FC and Shogun career had made him one of Japan’s most beloved fighters. His first-round KO of Korean fighter Dong Hyun Ma at 1:30 was the crowd’s most warmly received moment of the card — a local hero delivering a finish in front of home fans. Gomi’s career ended with his final UFC fight several months later in November 2017, making the Saitama KO his second-to-last professional appearance.
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