Tag: Takeya Mizugaki

UFC 139’s Brian Bowles: The Average Joe Thinks Urijah Faber Will Beat Me

When fighting Urijah Faber, there’s a pretty good chance the opponent is an afterthought, since Faber is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and the fans assume he will roll to victory.
Brian Bowles (10-1, 2-0 UFC) is under that assumption a…

When fighting Urijah Faber, there’s a pretty good chance the opponent is an afterthought, since Faber is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and the fans assume he will roll to victory.

Brian Bowles (10-1, 2-0 UFC) is under that assumption as well, as the former WEC Bantamweight Champion will square off with Faber (25-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC), the former WEC Featherweight Champion, at UFC 139 this Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on pay per view starting at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT.

Bowles and Faber each fought last at UFC 132, in which Bowles defeated Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision, and Faber lost via unanimous decision to bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

A lot of people thought a good performance by Bowles would have netted him the next shot against Cruz, but after a lackluster win against Mizugaki, Demetrious Johnson ended up getting the next shot.

Bowles understood why he didn’t get the shot after the Mizugaki fight.

“I wasn’t able to finish,” Bowles told me. “I wasn’t very aggressive; he’s a tough guy.

“I mean, he has that kind of style. He’s not easy to finish, and he’s a tough opponent. We both went in there, and if either one of us had been more aggressive, the fight would have been a lot more exciting,” he said.

“I think he was waiting for me to be a little more aggressive and I was kinda waiting for him to be more aggressive,” Bowles continued. “We ended up just standing there looking at each other a lot more than my fights usually are.”

The Bowles-Mizugaki fight was on the undercard of UFC 132, so Bowles was able to take in the Cruz-Faber main event that evening and wasn’t shocked by the champion’s performance against Faber.

“Typical Cruz, you know.” Bowles said. “He does what he does. Faber did a pretty good job getting his hands on him and not getting too frustrated at what he does. Every time you watch the champion fight, you learn a little bit from that. I took a little bit away from that.”

With the title loss, Faber is now 4-4 in his last eight fights, but Bowles thinks Faber still has that mystique about him.

“Once you built something like that, it takes a lot for it to go away. I don’t think he’s lost it yet,” Bowles said. “Just because you lose a fight or two here and there? He’s not out there getting knocked out. He’s not like at the end of his career, he needs to hang it up or he’s just hanging onto it because he can’t let it go.

“He’s still a No. 1-guy contender. He could be champ at any moment,” he said.

As soon as this fight was announced, a lot of people were under the assumption that it would determine the No. 1 contender for the bantamweight title, and Bowles is under that assumption as well.

“Yea, I think (UFC president) Dana (White) announced that the winner between me and him should be fighting Cruz,” Bowles said. “I know they never set anything in stone, but its been said. But that’s what I’m expecting from it.”

Since Faber-Cruz II took place and the fight with Bowles was announced, a lot of people think that Faber will roll past Bowles and secure the rubber match.

Bowles has other plans in mind and relishes the role of the underdog.

“You know, I’m kinda used to that. I’ve been a underdog in almost every fight,” Bowles said. “When I fought Miguel (Torres), underdog; ever since I’ve come into the sport, its been the underdog for me. I kind of feed off that.

“I think true hardcore fans, the other fighters know he’s not gonna walk through me. I’ve heard a lot of people say they think I’m going to beat him.

“It’s mainly the people, average Joes out there. He’s the more popular guy. That’s what they go on. They think it’s a popularity contest and not a fight. That’s what they’re going by. Not going by fighting skills,” Bowles said.

“I’m a quiet guy. He’s out there; his face is out there. He’s more popular, so they think he’s gonna win,” he said.

You can listen to the entire interview with Brian Bowles here.

You can follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Fool Me Once, Shame on You: Five UFC Rematches We’d Love to See Happen

Let’s be honest, there weren’t many of us out there biting our nails in anticipation of Mac Danzig vs. Matt Wiman Part II in the weeks leading up to it, but boy were we wrong. The rematch, which took home Fight of the Night Honors, was a back and forth, blood soaked brawl, and we loved every second of it. So it is in light of their triumph that we present you, Potato Nation, with five rematches, in no particular order, that we can expect to see as soon as Joe Silva starts returning our calls.

5. Carlos Condit vs. Rory Macdonald

Depending on how well Carlos Condit does in his upcoming title fight against GSP, the possibility of seeing these two welterweight brutes tangle again seems pretty high. Both have been on a tear as of late, and the first fight between them was nothing short of extraordinary.

Let’s be honest, there weren’t many of us out there biting our nails in anticipation of Mac Danzig vs. Matt Wiman Part II in the weeks leading up to it, but boy were we wrong. The rematch, which took home Fight of the Night Honors, was a back and forth, blood soaked brawl, and we loved every second of it. So it is in light of their triumph that we present you, Potato Nation, with five rematches, in no particular order, that we can expect to see as soon as Joe Silva starts returning our calls.

5. Carlos Condit vs. Rory Macdonald

Depending on how well Carlos Condit does in his upcoming title fight against GSP, the possibility of seeing these two welterweight brutes tangle again seems pretty high. Both have been on a tear as of late, and the first fight between them was nothing short of extraordinary.

Macdonald, a relatively unknown at the time, gave the final WEC welterweight champ all he could handle, utilizing a beautiful array of kicks and takedowns to keep Condit off balance for the better part of two rounds. Condit was able to shake off the cobwebs and mount a ground and pound clinic on Macdonald in the third however, finishing him off with just 7 seconds left in the fight. If Condit is able to defeat GSP, and if Rory can get by Brian Ebersole at UFC 140 (and maybe another, higher tier fighter), then we have the makings of one hell of a title fight.

4. Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann 

The main event of the third UFC on Versus, this fight changed the perspective on how much punishment someone could absorb while still walking away the victor. For three rounds, Kampmann brutalized “The Nightmare” “The Dream’s” face with sharp punches, but Sanchez waded through nearly all of them, landing a few nice combinations of his own and scoring a takedown in the third round. “The Hitman” quickly found himself on the losing side of another razor-thin decision, and protested it with the infamous “Look at that dude’s fucking face!” defense, to no avail. Add to that their heated Twitter feud and we’ve got ourselves a full blown grudge match, and we all know how much the UFC loves those. Both guys are facing tough tests in their next fights, Kampmann takes on Rick Story at UFC 139 and Sanchez takes on Jake Ellenberger at UFC 141. When the smoke clears from all that, who honestly wouldn’t want to see these guys go to war again?

3. Forrest Griffin v. Quinton Jackson

Their title fight back at UFC 86 marked the first time a TUF winner would ever don UFC gold, discounting our boy Matt Serra of course, who the world was aware of before his time on The Ultimate Fighter. The decision was controversial, its aftermath even more so. But with 520,000 pay-per-view buy’s the first time around, this rematch could easily boost up a card’s interest level, though maybe as a co-main event this time.

Though “Rampage” seems destined for other venues, there’s no doubt that this is one loss that he would like to erase before his contract expires…in fact, he has been repeatedly begging for it. Griffin, on the other hand, finds himself in an unusual place amongst the UFC’s light heavyweight division. On the heels of knockout loss to Maricio Rua at UFC 134, a win over Jackson would not only validate his original victory, but propel him back up the light heavyweight ranks. If anything, it will be interesting just to see if DW can get Forrest to leave Vegas again.

2. Edson Barboza vs. Ross Pearson

The first fight, which just recently transpired at UFC 134, was the very definition of a battle between a brawler and a technical striker. Pearson looked about as good as he could in the loss, repeatedly tagging Barboza despite the Brazilian’s reach advantage. Barboza however, was able to land more consistently and with more pizzazz, walking away with the split decision victory in his second consecutive Fight of the Night winning performance.

Though a win in the rematch wouldn’t do much for either fighter in terms of stock value, this is just one of those fights that we simply want to watch again as fans of the sport, regardless of rankings. Some of us weren’t exactly convinced that Barboza deserved the nod, stating Pearson’s constant pressure as a determining factor. And since neither fighter has anything booked at the moment, why not give it another go?

1. Miguel Torres vs. Takeya Mizugaki 

Ah, the good old days of the WEC. Back in 2009, Miguel Torres was about as close as you could get to an unbeatable fighter. Takeya Mizugaki was an unknown Shooto vet with a penchant for brawling, and my God what a brawl this turned into. In a fight that was nominated across the forum world for fight of the year, Torres and Mizugaki stood toe-to-toe for 25 minutes and threw down, with each fighter not letting a strike go unanswered.

Coming off a second round TKO of Cole Escovedo at UFC 135, Mizugaki arguably has the momentum in his favor this time around, as Torres will be trying to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Demetrious Johnson against Nick Pace at UFC 139. If he can best Pace, then this rematch would make all the more sense in terms of the bantamweight picture. If not, then this fight would still be a nice addition to any card in need of fireworks.

-Danga 

What say you, Potato Nation? Are there any other rematches that you are currently blowing up DW’s Twitter with requests for? Let us know in the comments section.

Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC 135

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Jon JonesIn the UFC 135 pre-fight press conference UFC president Dana White said he could tell the Jones-Jackson main event was a “breakthrough fight” because of all the celebrities who were willing to fly to Denver — Denver, of all places! — just to see it.

I’m not saying that’s not true, but I am saying that maybe you don’t want to spit out the name of the host city like you can’t believe any famous people would be willing to go there. Denver’s actually a pretty great city — one with pro sports teams and all that jazz. Maybe the nightclubs don’t stay open as long as the David Spade types would like, but the fact that they might be willing to make the flight anyway is maybe not as important to John Q. Fight Fan as it is to White. Like any main event, it’s a big deal because it’s a good fight, not the other way around.

But now that another UFC event is in the books and the dust has settled on the tiny, godforsaken hamlet of Denver, it’s time again to sort through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.

Biggest Winner: Jon Jones
No surprise here. The champ defended his belt in dominant fashion, showing that he could do just about anything he felt like to ‘Rampage’ Jackson. Crawling around on all fours? Sure. Tossing Jackson over his back after the end of a round? Why not. Jackson could hardly lay a glove on Jones until he went to pat him on the shoulder and give him his respect after it was all over. The scary thing is he’s only 24 years old. If I were a light heavyweight in the UFC, I’d either want to fight him right away, before he has a chance to get any better, or else much further in the future, after stardom may have taken its toll on him. If you get him somewhere in the middle, as Rashad Evans probably will, it could be big trouble. Now that the mere mention of Evans’ name seems to upset Jones, psychological warfare could be “Suga’s” best hope against the champ.


Biggest Loser: Takanori Gomi
Not only did he lose his second straight fight and his third in four UFC attempts, but he got absolutely throttled by Nate Diaz. In a lot of ways it was reminiscent of his loss to Nick Diaz, only without the brief period of effective offense in the beginning (or, hopefully, the eye-popping drug test results later). It’s hard not to wonder where this leaves the 33-year-old Gomi. His UFC run has been a disappointment and it’s starting to look like his Pride glory days were as good as it’s ever going to get for him. The UFC may or may not keep him around just long enough to fight in the Tokyo event, but he doesn’t seem to have much of a long-term future in the UFC. It’s a shame, but it’s not terribly surprising. The game has changed a lot since 2005, and very few fighters have managed to successfully change with it all the way into the present.

Most Improved: Mark Hunt
I’m not sure when Hunt learned to wrestle, but it must have been very, very recently. He didn’t just escape the mount and stuff a couple of Ben Rothwell’s takedowns, he even got a couple double-legs of his own. Who saw that coming? I’ve heard some people grumbling about his cardio down the stretch, but after hitting Rothwell with everything but a paternity suit, I don’t blame him for being tired. I’m a little amazed that Rothwell took so many bombs from the heavy-handed Hunt, but I’m even more amazed at Hunt’s overall improvement as a fighter in the last year. You factor in the feel-good story about him turning down a UFC payoff for a chance to earn a spot on the roster, and you’ve got a heavyweight who’s very quietly earned the admiration and respect of his peers.

Best Worst Use of Ambiguous Phrasing: Matt Hughes
He’s not retiring. No way. He just wants to be put on the shelf, whatever that means for a nearly 38-year-old ex-champion. Dana White’s known Hughes for a long time, so I’m inclined to go with his translation: Hughes just can’t bring himself to say the word ‘retirement,’ even after his second straight first-round knockout loss. You don’t ask to be put on the shelf if you’re dying to fight soon. And if you’re not trying to squeeze a couple more fights in before Father Time does even more of a number on you, doesn’t that mean you’re basically easing into retirement like a senior citizen into a water aerobics class? Probably, yeah. And that’s okay. If Hughes doesn’t want to say the words, he doesn’t have to. Not right now, anyway. But six months from now when he dozes off in a recliner while watching a fishing show in the middle of the day, that’s when it’s going to hit him: my God, this is what retired people do. Maybe by then it won’t seem so bad.

Most Impressive in Defeat: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
It might have been hard to tell while he was standing in the cage with Jones, but Jackson hasn’t looked that good for a couple years. We’ve seen many different versions of ‘Rampage’ over the course of his career, from the hungry, driven one to the plodding, barely interested variety. This time he moved well, was in excellent shape, and stayed in attack mode even when Jones was sticking him at will. It’s just a shame that it took a huge title fight to bring out that level of interest in him, and that it did him little good against an opponent as talented as Jones. But look on the bright side: maybe this will show Jackson how good he can be when he puts forth the effort. He says he wants ‘Shogun’ Rua in Japan, even though Rua already has a date with Dan Henderson coming up. But the mere fact that he’s asking for specific names and locations for his next fight at least tells us that he’s interested in MMA again. Let’s hope that lasts.

Least Impressive in Victory: Travis Browne
By the third round of his heavyweight tilt with Rob Broughton, Browne was content to get the top position and move only as much as was absolutely necessary in order to stay there. He already had the decision locked up, plus he was pretty tuckered out, so there was some logic to it all. That’s cool — and, hey, it’s better to win a fight like that than lose it — but it doesn’t exactly propel you up the heavyweight ranks. Browne’s knockout wins over Stefan Struve and James McSweeney have established his bona fides as an action fighter, so what gives? Maybe he ran out of gas or simply felt like he had to play it safe against Broughton, but either way this wasn’t exactly one for the highlight reel.

Most Surprising: Takeya Mizugaki
Judging by pre and post-fight appearances alone, I don’t know if anyone at UFC 135 enjoyed themselves as much as Mizugaki. I guess it helps when you win your fight, especially via dominating second-round TKO. Oddsmakers gave Mizugaki the slight edge coming into the fight, but he had Escovedo’s number early and managed to strike a perfect balance between recklessness and strategic aggression. Good thing too, since Mizugaki needed that win. It was the first time he’s finished a fight since 2008 and his most impressive performance yet in the UFC. Plus he just seemed to be having so much fun, and who doesn’t like to see that?

Biggest Matchmaking Headache: Josh Koscheck
Koscheck may very well be the second-best welterweight in the UFC, but there is absolutely zero interest in seeing him fight Georges St-Pierre a third time, so what now? He’s open to a temporary move to middleweight for the sake of a just-for-the-hell-of-it fight with Chris Leben, and maybe that’s the best thing the UFC can do with him. But once that’s over you still have a guy who’s probably too small to make a run at middleweight, but will only knock off potential contenders if you leave him at welterweight. The good news is that, with his abrasive personality and willingness to alienate people, Koscheck can always talk himself into new rivalries. And who knows, maybe he can tread water that way until GSP eventually moves up to middleweight and it’s open season in the UFC’s 170-pound class again. You know he can’t be the only fighter waiting for that day to come.

 

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Filed under:

Jon JonesIn the UFC 135 pre-fight press conference UFC president Dana White said he could tell the Jones-Jackson main event was a “breakthrough fight” because of all the celebrities who were willing to fly to Denver — Denver, of all places! — just to see it.

I’m not saying that’s not true, but I am saying that maybe you don’t want to spit out the name of the host city like you can’t believe any famous people would be willing to go there. Denver’s actually a pretty great city — one with pro sports teams and all that jazz. Maybe the nightclubs don’t stay open as long as the David Spade types would like, but the fact that they might be willing to make the flight anyway is maybe not as important to John Q. Fight Fan as it is to White. Like any main event, it’s a big deal because it’s a good fight, not the other way around.

But now that another UFC event is in the books and the dust has settled on the tiny, godforsaken hamlet of Denver, it’s time again to sort through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.

Biggest Winner: Jon Jones
No surprise here. The champ defended his belt in dominant fashion, showing that he could do just about anything he felt like to ‘Rampage’ Jackson. Crawling around on all fours? Sure. Tossing Jackson over his back after the end of a round? Why not. Jackson could hardly lay a glove on Jones until he went to pat him on the shoulder and give him his respect after it was all over. The scary thing is he’s only 24 years old. If I were a light heavyweight in the UFC, I’d either want to fight him right away, before he has a chance to get any better, or else much further in the future, after stardom may have taken its toll on him. If you get him somewhere in the middle, as Rashad Evans probably will, it could be big trouble. Now that the mere mention of Evans’ name seems to upset Jones, psychological warfare could be “Suga’s” best hope against the champ.


Biggest Loser: Takanori Gomi
Not only did he lose his second straight fight and his third in four UFC attempts, but he got absolutely throttled by Nate Diaz. In a lot of ways it was reminiscent of his loss to Nick Diaz, only without the brief period of effective offense in the beginning (or, hopefully, the eye-popping drug test results later). It’s hard not to wonder where this leaves the 33-year-old Gomi. His UFC run has been a disappointment and it’s starting to look like his Pride glory days were as good as it’s ever going to get for him. The UFC may or may not keep him around just long enough to fight in the Tokyo event, but he doesn’t seem to have much of a long-term future in the UFC. It’s a shame, but it’s not terribly surprising. The game has changed a lot since 2005, and very few fighters have managed to successfully change with it all the way into the present.

Most Improved: Mark Hunt
I’m not sure when Hunt learned to wrestle, but it must have been very, very recently. He didn’t just escape the mount and stuff a couple of Ben Rothwell’s takedowns, he even got a couple double-legs of his own. Who saw that coming? I’ve heard some people grumbling about his cardio down the stretch, but after hitting Rothwell with everything but a paternity suit, I don’t blame him for being tired. I’m a little amazed that Rothwell took so many bombs from the heavy-handed Hunt, but I’m even more amazed at Hunt’s overall improvement as a fighter in the last year. You factor in the feel-good story about him turning down a UFC payoff for a chance to earn a spot on the roster, and you’ve got a heavyweight who’s very quietly earned the admiration and respect of his peers.

Best Worst Use of Ambiguous Phrasing: Matt Hughes
He’s not retiring. No way. He just wants to be put on the shelf, whatever that means for a nearly 38-year-old ex-champion. Dana White’s known Hughes for a long time, so I’m inclined to go with his translation: Hughes just can’t bring himself to say the word ‘retirement,’ even after his second straight first-round knockout loss. You don’t ask to be put on the shelf if you’re dying to fight soon. And if you’re not trying to squeeze a couple more fights in before Father Time does even more of a number on you, doesn’t that mean you’re basically easing into retirement like a senior citizen into a water aerobics class? Probably, yeah. And that’s okay. If Hughes doesn’t want to say the words, he doesn’t have to. Not right now, anyway. But six months from now when he dozes off in a recliner while watching a fishing show in the middle of the day, that’s when it’s going to hit him: my God, this is what retired people do. Maybe by then it won’t seem so bad.

Most Impressive in Defeat: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
It might have been hard to tell while he was standing in the cage with Jones, but Jackson hasn’t looked that good for a couple years. We’ve seen many different versions of ‘Rampage’ over the course of his career, from the hungry, driven one to the plodding, barely interested variety. This time he moved well, was in excellent shape, and stayed in attack mode even when Jones was sticking him at will. It’s just a shame that it took a huge title fight to bring out that level of interest in him, and that it did him little good against an opponent as talented as Jones. But look on the bright side: maybe this will show Jackson how good he can be when he puts forth the effort. He says he wants ‘Shogun’ Rua in Japan, even though Rua already has a date with Dan Henderson coming up. But the mere fact that he’s asking for specific names and locations for his next fight at least tells us that he’s interested in MMA again. Let’s hope that lasts.

Least Impressive in Victory: Travis Browne
By the third round of his heavyweight tilt with Rob Broughton, Browne was content to get the top position and move only as much as was absolutely necessary in order to stay there. He already had the decision locked up, plus he was pretty tuckered out, so there was some logic to it all. That’s cool — and, hey, it’s better to win a fight like that than lose it — but it doesn’t exactly propel you up the heavyweight ranks. Browne’s knockout wins over Stefan Struve and James McSweeney have established his bona fides as an action fighter, so what gives? Maybe he ran out of gas or simply felt like he had to play it safe against Broughton, but either way this wasn’t exactly one for the highlight reel.

Most Surprising: Takeya Mizugaki
Judging by pre and post-fight appearances alone, I don’t know if anyone at UFC 135 enjoyed themselves as much as Mizugaki. I guess it helps when you win your fight, especially via dominating second-round TKO. Oddsmakers gave Mizugaki the slight edge coming into the fight, but he had Escovedo’s number early and managed to strike a perfect balance between recklessness and strategic aggression. Good thing too, since Mizugaki needed that win. It was the first time he’s finished a fight since 2008 and his most impressive performance yet in the UFC. Plus he just seemed to be having so much fun, and who doesn’t like to see that?

Biggest Matchmaking Headache: Josh Koscheck
Koscheck may very well be the second-best welterweight in the UFC, but there is absolutely zero interest in seeing him fight Georges St-Pierre a third time, so what now? He’s open to a temporary move to middleweight for the sake of a just-for-the-hell-of-it fight with Chris Leben, and maybe that’s the best thing the UFC can do with him. But once that’s over you still have a guy who’s probably too small to make a run at middleweight, but will only knock off potential contenders if you leave him at welterweight. The good news is that, with his abrasive personality and willingness to alienate people, Koscheck can always talk himself into new rivalries. And who knows, maybe he can tread water that way until GSP eventually moves up to middleweight and it’s open season in the UFC’s 170-pound class again. You know he can’t be the only fighter waiting for that day to come.

 

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Takeya Mizugaki ‘Exploded With Emotions’ After Knockout Win

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DENVER — MMA Fighting caught up with Takeya Mizugaki after his second-round TKO against Cole Escovedo at UFC 135. Mizugaki discussed if this was his best UFC performance so far, his post-fight celebration and if he wants to fight next when the UFC returns to Japan early next year .

 

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DENVER — MMA Fighting caught up with Takeya Mizugaki after his second-round TKO against Cole Escovedo at UFC 135. Mizugaki discussed if this was his best UFC performance so far, his post-fight celebration and if he wants to fight next when the UFC returns to Japan early next year .

 

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The Cut List: Who’s in Desperate Need of a Win at UFC 135?

Filed under: UFCUFC 135 in Denver may feature a title fight at the top of the card, but it also includes its share of fighters who are struggling just to get back in the win column. Some get more second chances than others to turn a losing skid around,…

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UFC 135 in Denver may feature a title fight at the top of the card, but it also includes its share of fighters who are struggling just to get back in the win column. Some get more second chances than others to turn a losing skid around, but there are at least a couple who could be looking at a win-or-go-home scenario.

Who are they, and what are their chances to stay employed after Saturday night? For answers and analysis, we turn to The Cut List.

Nate Diaz (13-7, 8-5 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Takanori Gomi
Why he’s in danger: Don’t look now, but the younger Diaz brother has lost two straight in the UFC after being outgrappled by both Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald. There’s no shame in losing to either of those beasts, but three in a row is still a dangerous place to be, so he needs this one against Gomi. What complicates matters is Nick Diaz’s suddenly shaky footing with the UFC, though I’m not sure if it helps or hurts Nate in the end. With Nick around, you get a real appreciation for how reasonable and easy to work with Nate is. Plus, just how much would the already paranoid, conspiracy theory-prone Nick freak out if the UFC cut his brother so shortly after his own troubles with the Zuffa overlords? I don’t know, and I’m not sure I want to find out. The best thing for all non-Gomi parties would be for Nate to win this fight and save his bosses the trouble of making those decisions. Still, you can bet that Gomi remembers what happened in his infamous Pride bout with Nick and is eager for a little revenge against Stockton’s first family of fisticuffs.
Odds of getting cut: 4-1. This is a fight Diaz should win, since Gomi will likely be content to keep it on the feet, where Diaz’s height and reach should give him problems. Even if he loses, he’s still an exciting enough fighter to warrant one more chance. The only thing he really can’t do is follow in his brother’s footsteps and fail the drug test.


Matt Hughes (45-8, 18-6 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Josh Koscheck
Why he’s in danger: Okay, so Hughes isn’t really looking at a potential cut per se, but rather a contract that might not be renewed once this final fight is in the books. And honestly? That’s not such a bad thing. Hughes will be 38 in October, and the welterweight division of today is not the same one he dominated half a decade ago. If he sticks around he’s probably looking at an increasingly depressing game of diminishing returns, and for what? He doesn’t need the money and he’s got nothing left to prove in this sport. In fact, the worst-case scenario might be that he upsets Josh Koscheck and decides that Matt Hughes is back, baby! Then he might actually get a new contract, and before you know it he’s the 40-year-old ex-champion getting thumped by Seth Baczynski in a co-co-main event. The best thing might be for him to ride off into the sunset here, which seems a lot more likely to happen if he ends up taking the beating that oddsmakers are forecasting. Koscheck is like a younger, more powerful, and slightly more abrasive version of Hughes. In a bizarre way, it could be the perfect passing of the torch.
Odds of getting cut not retained: Even. I think Hughes is in for a rough night against Koscheck, and I expect that will only make it easier for him to decide that he’d rather be at home in Hillsboro. It’s the right call and the right time for it.

Takanori Gomi (32-7-1 NC, 1-2 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Nate Diaz
Why he’s in danger: Gomi managed to sandwich a knockout win over Tyson Griffin in between losses to Kenny Florian and Clay Guida, so it’s not as if he’s been fighting chumps since coming to the UFC. At the same time, winning more fights than you lose is the best way to ensure job security. A loss to Diaz and Gomi falls to 1-3 in the Octagon, and right after his 33rd birthday. That might make the Japanese lightweight seem like a bad bet to the UFC brass, especially when you look at the uninspired last few years of his career. He can be an exciting slugger when he gets the chance to fight his fight, but he also seems to lack the overall game necessary to ever become a serious contender in a division full of bull-headed wrestlers.
Odds of getting cut: 5-1. Unless he loses very, very badly, “The Fireball Kid” is probably sticking around at least until the UFC’s Japanese invasion in 2012.

Takeya Mizugaki (14-6-2, 1-1 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Cole Escovedo
Why he’s in danger: Right off I’ll just say it — Mizugaki should consider himself lucky to have made the cut when the UFC absorbed the WEC. He was up and down for his entire stay in the WEC, winning the easier ones and losing the tough ones. Not that defeats to guys like Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres are signs that you suck, but let’s be honest and admit that the current lack of depth in the bantamweight division hasn’t hurt Mizugaki any. This prelim bout against Cole Escovedo is a little like the scene in Dark Knight where The Joker drops a broken pool cue in the middle of some faceless henchmen for “tryouts.”
Odds of getting cut: 2-1. This is a very winnable fight for Mizugaki, who can take a beating with the best of them. If he’s smart, he’ll approach it as a must-win and behave accordingly.

Cole Escovedo (17-7, 0-1 UFC)
Who he’s facing: Takeya Mizugaki
Why he’s in danger: Escovedo’s career has been a rollercoaster ride in more ways than one. He’s been up and down in weight, while also following impressive winning streaks with strings of losses. He’s 1-3 in his last four, and that one wasn’t against a particularly impressive opponent. In his lone UFC bout to date he lost a unanimous decision to Nova Uniao standout Renan Barao. He and Mizugaki are fairly evenly matched, so there’s no better time to show the brass that he can be something other than an opponent. But with the way he’s been going lately, he probably won’t get too many more chances to do it.
Odds of getting cut: Even. I give Mizugaki the slight edge in this one. If Escovedo can’t pull it out, there won’t be many reasons for the UFC to keep him around.

 

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Looking Ahead: Check Out the New Promo for UFC 135

In: “I WANT MY BELT BACK!” Out: “There’s gone be some black on black crime.” VidProps: UFC/YouTube

Check this out: official UFC propaganda would have us believe that Rampage Jackson is actually out there somewhere working. They even have the nerve to pause on a calendar square labeled “JIU JITSU”, when we all know damn well that ‘Page would pull guard right after he lets someone hold an umbrella for him.

On the other hand, we’re pretty sure we’ve found the guy shooting footage of Jackson and passing it on to Jones.

Bones v Rampage goes down in just 22 days, and there’s plenty of action to keep you occupied until then.

The full UFC 135 card is after the jump.

In: “I WANT MY BELT BACK!”  Out: “There’s gone be some black on black crime.”  VidProps: UFC/YouTube

Check this out: official UFC propaganda would have us believe that Rampage Jackson is actually out there somewhere working. They even have the nerve to pause on a calendar square labeled “JIU JITSU”, when we all know damn well that ‘Page would pull guard right after he lets someone hold an umbrella for him.

On the other hand, we’re pretty sure we’ve found the guy shooting footage of Jackson and passing it on to Jones.

Bones v Rampage goes down in just 22 days, and there’s plenty of action to keep you occupied until then.

The full UFC 135 card is after the jump.

Main Card
Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones vs Quinton Jackson
Matt Hughes vs Diego Sanchez
Ben Rothwell vs Mark Hunt
Nate Diaz vs Takanori Gomi
Travis Browne vs Rob Broughton

Spike Card

Tony Ferguson vs Aaron Riley
Nick Ring vs Tim Boetsch

Facebook Card

James Te Huna vs Ricardo Romero
Takeya Mizugaki vs Cole Escovedo

We were supposed to get a fight between Kid Yamamoto and Damacio Page, but it was announced yesterday that both guys had managed to get hurt in training.

So what’s the over-under on KOs on this card?

[RX]