WEC 42 Preview: Jeff Curran Seeks to Topple Takeya Mizugaki

WEC 42's main card will feature two highly-anticipated bantamweight showdowns that should be a must-see for any fan of mixed martial arts. Not only will Miguel Torres face off in a Bantamweight Championship title fight with challenger Brian Bowles, but Torres' last opponent, USA Today/SBN Consensus Rankings #4 ranked Takeya Mizugaki (11-3-2), will take on WEC veteran Jeff Curran (29-11-1, #22 ranked) in a bout to retrun to contention in the division.

Takeya Mizugaki was considered one of the better bantamweight fighters in the world when the WEC came calling in order to find a replacement fighter for an injured Brian Bowles at WEC 40. A lot of fans had no idea who this thrilling fighter from Japan actually was when he stepped into the cage. For such a short notice, Mizugaki was probably the best available replacement fighter without any contractual hang-ups in Japan, and it proved a spectacular success. Fans who didn't know who he was before the battle at WEC 40 learned that he was a fighter that could take Miguel Torres the distance and give him a challenge.

A deep respect for his battle with Torres hit the MMA landscape quickly, and Mizugaki was instantly hailed as a legitimate crossover talent. He is, in fact, no fluke. Mizugaki has extensive experience in not only Shooto, but in Cage Force, a Japanese MMA promotion that uses a cage rather than a traditional ring. Many of his wins were unknown to most fans, but he did manage to take Atsushi Yamamoto the distance and draw against Masakatzu Ueda, his most notable performance.

The most interesting issues to come out of the match-up with Torres were the flaws in Mizugaki's game that were fixed. He's most notable for having knockout power in his hands, willingness to trade with opponents, and a solid enough wrestling and grappling game to be dangerous on the floor. One of the problems that critics pointed out, including myself, was that Mizugaki has been caught quite a few times in combat, and while he's been able to recover from those blows for the most part, it wasn't something that was going to help him against Torres' boxing skills. Mizugaki clearly worked out those kinks as he kept his chin down throughout the fight, and battered Torres with his own flurries. It definitely shows the kind of awareness and learning ability of Mizugaki.

He's going to need that ability against a very tough Jeff Curran. Curran is coming into the bout riding a three-fight losing streak at the hands of two former champions at featherweight in Mike Brown and Urijah Faber, and a decision loss to Joseph Benavidez in his most recent outing. He's 1-3 in his current stint with the WEC, and he really needs a win to get back on track. The WEC certainly isn't throwing him any easy fights though.

Curran possesses the Brazlian jiu-jitsu skills on the ground to give Mizugaki some big trouble in this fight, and his striking isn't bad at all either. Curran's black belt status should be a tough test for Mizugaki, but it isn't a new concept. Ueda was an All-Japan Shooto Grappling champion, and Mizugaki was able to hang with him on the floor. Nonetheless, it will be an area in which Curran will likely want to take this fight.

This battle truly comes down to Curran's jiu-jitsu versus Mizugaki's ground tactics. I think Curran could tie up Mizugaki on the ground and ride out a decision victory, but Mizugaki has a lot of power in the ground and pound to punish Curran. I think Mizugaki definitely has the edge standing though, and I'd take Mizugaki over Curran in a striking battle. It's a tough match-up to pick, but it'll surely produce some great action regardless of the outcome.