WEC Results: Faber Subs Mizugaki in 135-Pound Debut

Urijah Faber's bantamweight debut was a successful one as he submitted Takeya Mizugaki in the first round. LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The MMA world got its first glimpse of a reinvented Urijah Faber here Thursday night as he choked Japanese star Takeya Mizugaki out cold in the WEC 52 main event at The Pearl at The Palms. The first-round stoppage – which began as a one-arm rear naked choke – served notice to the rest of the bantamweight division that The California Kid is a force to be reckoned with.
“I’m a finisher,” said the former WEC featherweight champion, now 24-4. “It’s time to step it up and get my belt in the UFC.  Now it’s my time to shine right now at my most competitive weight.”

Holding the distinction as the only man to beat current 135-pound kingpin Dominick Cruz, the 31-year-old Faber had difficulty taking Mizugaki down early, and abandoned leg and hip takedowns in place of a swift front headlock that did the trick and pulled the action to the canvas. That set into motion the fateful take-the-back sequence that rendered Mizugaki (13-5-2) unconscious.

In the evening’s co-main event, fellow Team Alpha Male fighter Chad Mendes also made a statement. Producing exciting, action-packed fights may not be Mendes’ forte just yet, but winning certainly is. The brutish wrestler rode his explosive takedowns and mistake-free style to his ninth straight victory, smothering the world-class jiu-jitsu of Javier Vazquez, who had irked the unbeaten Mendes by asserting he had not paid his dues while climbing the featherweight ranks and was being “spoon fed” non-elite opponents. Save for a solid high-kick that landed, and a right hand that temporarily stunned Vazquez, Mendes followed his usual blueprint of scoring takedowns and sticking like glue to his foes. Vazquez’ finest moments came in the first round when he fired elbows to Mendes head from the guard. Yet despite Vazquez’s repeated attempts to use rubber guard in a quest for a triangle choke, Mendes never appeared to be in much danger.

Erik Koch vs. Francisco Rivera   

He wanted Josh Grispi, he got Francisco Rivera instead. And Erik Koch offered a rude welcome to the short-notice replacement, methodically controlling the fight in the standup realm before unleashing a vicious high kick that floored the unbeaten Californian. A few blows later, at 1:36 of the first round, the referee stopped the action and declared Koch the victor by TKO.

“That was perfect, man. Hopefully I get a bonus for this,” said Koch (11-1), roommate to No. 1 lightweight contender Anthony Pettis, who challenges Benson Henderson for the title next month at WEC 53. “I got to say it was a good knockout. That was an Anthony Pettis kick right there and it worked.”

Now 4-1 in the organization, the 22-year-old Iowan had been widely regarded as a slippery ground fighter and more of a volume puncher in the standup aspect until Thursday’s revelation. Afterward he thanked Rivera (5-1) for taking the fight despite an abbreviated training camp.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Wagnney Fabiano

True to his word, Joseph Benavidez not only tried to submit Wagnney Fabiano, but actually achieved the feat with a second-round guillotine choke that prompted the highly-decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt to tap.

“I got all sorts of guillotines and I had to keep trying them out on him,” said the Team Alpha Male fighter, who took the fight on five weeks’ notice after Brian Bowles bowed out due to injury. “He’s a great grappler but I tried that ‘Joe-jitsu’ on him and I got the tap.”

 The triumph marked Benavidez’s fourth win over a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. The super-tight move was an exclamation point to a bout that began with both fighters waging a fierce stand-up battle.

Demetrious Johnson vs. Damacio Page

Tired of getting bullied around the Octagon by bigger foes, Demetrious Johnson committed to a powerlifting regimen that apparently paid dividends as he won a wrestling match against Damacio Page and eventually submitted the Greg Jackson protégé with a mounted guillotine choke at 2:37 of the third stanza. Ever cautious of Page’s potent right hand – arguably the most powerful right hand in the entire bantamweight division – the much-quicker Johnson excelled at closing the distance and achieving the clinch, minimizing Page’s force.

The bout predominately played out as a grappling match with both men trading takedowns throughout. It appeared that Page won the first round thanks to a takedown and top control, but Johnson stole the momentum in the second, even scoring with a high kick that prompted Page to mockingly stick his tongue out.

In the third round, Johnson unleashed a nice punching combo and capped it off with a high kick that put Page on the deck. In a scramble, Johnson ensured it would not go to the judges by securing a fight-ending guillotine choke, notching his second straight WEC win to improve his record to 12-1.

Raphael Assuncao vs. L.C. Davis

Assuncao, an Atlanta transplant who hails from Brazil, used his grinding style and timely takedowns en route to a unanimous decision victory over the equally rugged Davis. Though Davis, who for years trained with Pat Miletich in Iowa, has the more celebrated wrestling skills, he was outdone in that department by the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, who won a unanimous decision to halt a two-bout losing streak and improve to 16-3.

Anthony Njokuani vs. Edward Faaloloto

Crediting the hardest training camp of his life, Njokuani snapped a two-fight losing streak with a second-round TKO over previously unbeaten Faaloloto. In what was predominantly a boxing match, the lightning-quick striker imposed his will throughout, punishing and bloodying the Hawaiian lightweight with powerful right hands until a referee stoppage at 4:55 of the second round.

Njokuani improved to 14-4; Faaloloto fell to 5-1.

Dustin Poirier vs. Zack Micklewright

The most intense staredown at the WEC 52 weigh-ins involved these two fighters, who are in many ways mirror images of each other and looked like they wanted to do battle right then and there. When it came time for the real fisticuffs, Poirier – who had chastised himself for showing “30 percent” of his fight game in his WEC debut loss to Danny Castillo – opened up a can of blitzkrieg on Micklewright in the form of dozens of heavy punches. The all-out and one-sided assault forced the overwhelmed Iowan to retreat, but he was especially rocked by wave after wave of vicious hooks. How Micklewright remained upright is anybody’s guess (and a testament to the US Marine Corps vet’s valor and toughness), but the referee had seen enough and rightly halted the bout at just 53 seconds of the opening stanza, giving Poirier (8-1) his first WEC triumph in impressive fashion.

“I have huge respect for him,” Poirier, a lifelong Louisianan, said of his opponent. “He’s a hell of a fighter, a military veteran, and he’s got a tough chin. After the last fight I didn’t leave it all there. I went back to the drawing board and said, ‘What got me here?’ and that’s what I did out here tonight.”

Michael McDonald vs. Clint Godfrey

One thing we learned about 19-year-old Michael McDonald over the past few days: the kid likes to smile. A lot. He came to the weigh-ins smiling and smiled during the face-to-face staredown. He walked to the cage smiling (and singing along to his entrance song). Fittingly, the northern Californian left the cage smiling, too, courtesy of a first-round armbar submission victory in his WEC debut.

Anyone who mistook the kid’s kindness for weakness learned otherwise once the opening horn sounded. He tagged Godfrey with a crisp 1-2, and then put the South Dakotan on his rump with a textbook straight right counter. After eating some hard shots, Godfrey gamely got to his feet and proceeded to explosively slam McDonald. Apparently unfazed, McDonald soon transitioned to his fight-ending submission, pushing his record to 11-1.

Cub Swanson vs. Mackens Semerzier

A couple of things jump to mind: First, I’m amazed at how fresh and relatively undamaged each fighter was at the conclusion of their three-round war of attrition. I expected to see a lot of blood given the heavy blows that were flying and the breakneck pace these guys set. Second, it’s back-and-forth fights like this that make me happy I’m not a judge, because it’s a shame that one man had to be declared a loser in such a razor-thin close bout. That man, that loser by split decision, was Mackens Semerzier, though he should rightly hold his head high after leaving it all in the cage and “getting after it” in a battle that instantly became front runner for Fight of The Night.

Both fighters displayed an incredible variety of attacks – everything from standard punching combos, to flying knees, spinning backfists, headlock judo throws, upkicks to digging body shots – and it seemed like everything they fired was thrown with conviction. There was no “feeling out” process. Both fighters occasionally scored with takedowns, and Mackens scored the best ground-and-pound in the final 90 seconds of the bout.

In defeat, Semerzier fell to 7-3; Swanson improved to 15-4.

Yves Jabouin vs. Brandon Visher

On the heels of back-to-back losses and badly in need of a victory, noted striker Jabouin may have surprised Visher with a steady diet of takedowns (five, to be exact), effective top control and three submission attempts. Owner of 11 TKO’s, Montreal’s Jabouin seemed to play it safe on his feet, clearly respecting the one-punch knockout power in his Hawaiian foe’s right hand. Jabouin’s best moment in the standup realm came with a left kick that whacked Visher’s noggin clean early in the second stanza. Visher, who had been trying to rebound from the first loss of his career against Colorado’s Tyler Toner, was unable to find much momentum in against his bigger and faster opponent other than a flurry of body shots he landed in the first round that caused Jabouin to take it to the canvas. The 31-year-old Jabouin, who was cornered by former WEC bantamweight kingpin Miguel Torres, improved to 15-6. Visher fell to 13-2.

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Faber Subs Mizugaki in WEC Swan Song

The man who for years carried the World Extreme Cagefighting banner left the promotion with one more performance by which to remember him.

Former featherweight champion Urijah Faber submitted Takeya Mizugaki in the WEC 52 “Faber vs. Mizugaki” headliner on Thursday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Mizugaki -- who had never before been submitted -- went out on his proverbial shield, rendered unconscious by a rear-naked choke 4:50 into round one.

“The Japanese -- they have that fighting spirit,” Faber said. “This guy is known for being a guy that goes to the very end, so I knew I had to do something drastic and put him out, so I did.”

Faber’s debut at 135 pounds could not have gone better. The Sacramento, Calif., native popped Mizugaki with short right hands and knees and elbows from the clinch. He first threatened with a guillotine choke and then transitioned to Mizugaki’s back when he defended. From there, Faber sank in his hooks and worked for the rear-naked choke. He trapped Mizugaki against the cage, rolled him onto his stomach and waited for the Japanese star to black out.

“I wanted to finish,” Faber said. “I’m a finisher. I think that’s what this division needs.”

The next phase of Faber’s stellar career comes with a transition to the UFC, which will absorb the WEC in little more than a month. He becomes an immediate threat to reigning WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, a man he submitted with a rear-naked choke in March 2007.

“When I first started fighting, there was no 135-pound class, so it’s not like I had a choice,” Faber said. “I’m at my most competitive weight now. It’s a new era, baby.”

In the co-main event, the undefeated Chad Mendes wore down Javier Vazquez with strikes on the feet and on the ground en route to a unanimous decision. All three judges sided with Mendes by matching 30-27 counts.

Mendes spent much of the match inside the spidery guard of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Vazquez was the more active fighter in the first round, as he threatened the decorated wrestler from his back and neutralized his suffocating top game. However, he was fighting an uphill battle.

Mendes stunned Vazquez with strikes as the two featherweights engaged one another standing in round two. A flying knee from Mendes backed up Vazquez and forced the veteran to his back once more. There, Mendes unleashed his ground-and-pound: short elbows and punches that racked up the points and kept Vazquez in a defensive position. Mendes later stood and attempted to compromise the Vazquez guard with a standing front flip. His bid failed, but he moved back into top position.

A head kick from Mendes two minutes into the final period had Vazquez on his heels yet again, and the Team Alpha Male standout followed the strike with a double-leg takedown that all but punctuated his victory. He eventually opened a cut under Vazquez’s eye that had the underdog wincing in visible pain. With that, Mendes passed his latest test.

A last-minute change in opponent did nothing to slow the rise of Erik Koch.

Koch countered a left hook and dropped WEC newcomer Francisco Rivera with an exquisitely timed head kick before he finished the previously unbeaten Californian with hammerfists on the ground 96 seconds into the first round of their featherweight duel.

“That was perfect,” said Koch, who trains and rooms with WEC lightweight contender Anthony Pettis. “I thought that was a pretty good KO.”

Training under former world kickboxing champion Duke Roufus in Milwaukee, the 22-year-old Koch was originally booked to meet top 145-pound contender Josh Grispi. However, following the announcement of the UFC-WEC merger, Grispi was instead moved into a title match against champion Jose Aldo at UFC 122 on Jan. 1.

Team Alpha Male representative Joseph Benavidez submitted former International Fight League champion Wagnney Fabiano with a second-round guillotine choke in a showdown between world-ranked bantamweights. Fabiano met his demise 2:45 into round two.

After a relatively uneventful stand-up engagement in the first round, Benavidez went to work. He lured Fabiano into the first of three attempted guillotine chokes on an ill-advised single-leg takedown. The 26-year-old San Antonio native took a second stab at the submission when Fabiano moved to scramble back to his feet and finished him on the third try, as the Brazilian left his neck exposed one last time.

“I’ve got all sorts of guillotines, so I had to try a few out,” Benavidez said. “He’s a great grappler. He’s a black belt, but [I] got that ‘Joe-jitsu’ on him on that third one, and he finally tapped.”

Benavidez, who still has never lost back-to-back bouts, accepted the bout on short notice as a replacement for injured former WEC bantamweight titleholder Brian Bowles.

“I’m always in shape,” Benavidez said. “I thought it was a great matchup for me, so I wanted to take it.”

Overwhelming speed, conditioning and tenacity carried the once-beaten Demetrious Johnson past the world-ranked Damacio Page in a featured bantamweight matchup, as the Matt Hume protégé locked in a fight-ending guillotine choke 2:27 into round three.

Page, who had not competed in more than a year, grounded Johnson with a pair of head-and-arm throws and even mounted the dynamic 5-foot-3 Kentucky native inside the first round. However, Johnson, a man most believe belongs at 125 pounds, grew stronger as the fight deepened. He attacked Page with leg kicks, takedowns and ground-and-pound, ultimately turning the tide in his favor during a brief third-round exchange.

Less than 30 seconds into the final period, Johnson tagged Page with punches and delivered a head kick that put his backpedaling foe on his back. Page never returned to his feet. Johnson deftly moved into position, trapped him in the guillotine as he moved to full mount and solicited the tapout, the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts standout’s face contorted by pain and despair.

“I had to be smart and draw him in, then when he came in, take him down,” Johnson said. “He was basically drowning, and I was the shark that came up and got him from underneath.

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Mizugaki: ‘I Feel Like I’m Challenging a Champion’

Takeya Mizugaki (right): Sherdog.com
Takeya Mizugaki holds former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber in the highest regard and understands what a win over the Team Alpha Male founder could do to raise his profile in America.
The Japanese standout will welcome Faber to the 135-pound division in the WEC 52 “Faber vs. Mizugaki” headliner on Thursday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. In “The California Kid,” Mizugaki does not see a man who has lost three times in the span of five fights. He respects the history Faber carries into the cage with him.
“Urijah Faber is the face of the WEC,” Mizugaki said during a Nov. 1 teleconference to promote the event. “I feel like I’m challenging a champion. That’s the feeling I have facing Urijah.”
Faber -- who owns a 2007 submission victory over current WEC bantamweight king Dominick Cruz -- has never before competed as a bantamweight. The 31-year-old last appeared at WEC 48 in April, when he dropped a one-sided unanimous decision to reigning featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif.
Mizugaki believes he has an edge in the stand-up department.
“This being the first fight for Urijah at 135, it’s kind of hard to tell what kind of bantamweight fighter he’s going to be,” he said. “I have to believe my striking, my favorite part of the game, is better than his.”
Mizugaki has posted seven wins in his past nine fights, losing only to former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres and the world-ranked Scott Jorgensen in that span. The 26-year-old last fought in April, when he outpointed 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships winner Rani Yahya en route to a unanimous decision at WEC 48. Mizugaki has picked up two “Fight of the Night” performance bonuses in four WEC appearances. The 2008 Cage Force bantamweight tournament winner has been finished only once in his 19-fight professional career.
His defeat to Torres still haunts him.
“That was my first fight in the WEC, and I lost a decision in a title fight,” Mizugaki said. “It was a great opportunity, and I couldn’t capitalize on it. Anytime I approach a fight, I always remember that feeling of loss.”
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