UFC Live 3 Preview

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Bantamweights
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Reuben Duran

The Matchup: Contrary to visual evidence suggesting otherwise, Mizugaki is alive and well after being choked unconscious by Urijah Faber at WEC 52 in November. The tough Japanese fighter, refusing to tap, looked like he was on the way to becoming MMA’s first cable-TV casualty.

Mizugaki is a gamer through and through, getting results with awkward strikes and a hard-nosed, rough-hewn attack that seems to succeed in spite of itself, at least against lesser competition.

Duran is making his UFC debut and took the bout on a couple weeks’ notice, replacing an injured Francisco Rivera. He is fairly comfortable with exchanging punches, has a good, compact right hand and seems the better athlete of the two.

You never know what will happen in one’s UFC debut, what with the adrenaline dump, especially against a hard-nosed veteran like Mizugaki. He forces confrontations with his mere presence and showed exceptional toughness in his five-round title challenge loss to Miguel Torres in 2009.

However, Duran has a decided edge in that he knows exactly what to expect, and he has nothing to lose. Mizugaki’s defensive wrestling should keep him on his feet, where Duran will probably emerge as the crisper puncher.

The Pick: Look for some exciting opening exchanges as both vie to control the tempo and positions. Duran scores an upset, as he bangs away to a decision win.

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