A former King of the Cage lightweight champion, French serves as an understudy to future UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes. He captured the KOTC crown in January 2007, when he notched a close decision over a distracted Mac Danzig; the eventual “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 6 winner had signed a contract to fight Hayato Sakurai at Pride 33 a few days earlier. French lasted just 31 seconds in his disappointing Sengoku debut against Satoru Kitaoka one year ago and has dropped two fights since, including an upset loss to journeyman Mike Johnson.
The Breakdown: Mitsuoka remains an attractive fighter for the promotion to book, with his win over Hansen still relatively fresh and all of his previous appearances inside Sengoku ending within the first round, often in spectacular fashion. Mitsuoka wields a slick ground game, as he possesses a large arsenal of arm locks and choke holds. In addition, he has only been submitted twice in his career -- by Chris Brennan nearly six years ago and more recently by eventual Sengoku tournament champion Kitaoka.
Despite a respectable record on paper, the 28-year-old French has yet to show an ability to win at the highest level. His most notable victories so far have come as the expense of Danzig, the tough-but-limited Jason Ireland and featherweight Jameel Massouh.
* * *
The Prediction: Mitsuoka owns the better jiu-jitsu. Expect him to take French’s back as the first round comes to a close and end the fight with a choke.