A day after we lauched our picks to watch in '08, Tim Leidecker over at Sherdog wrote this little quote on Yoshiyuki Yoshida:

Even though his win over Hardy in the finals was clouded by controversy -- Hardy was disqualified for an unintentional kick below the belt -- the 32-year-old knockout artist took home the tournament victory and won a contract with the UFC.

It looks like Yoshida will be a big name to watch in the UFC for 2008. At 170 lbs. and a 9-2 record that include stints in Shooto and Cage Force, he definitely has the skills to hit the Octagon. Not only does he have a good amount of experience in the cage environment, but his style also suits him to make the transition to the UFC. A ground and pound fighter with tenacious elbows and strikes, it'll be nice to see an Asian market MMA fighter who does have experience using elbows and defending against them. "

Yushin Okami made his name in Cage Force at one point, and Yoshida seems to have impressed the UFC brass as well. Watch out for Yoshiyuki Yoshida in 2008. Click "More.." to view a video of Yoshida vs. Kikuchi as a display of some of the skills you may see in '08 from Yoshida.