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Urijah Faber will now officially be a problem for the bantamweight division.
The former WEC featherweight champion will make the move down to 135lbs for his next fight on August 18 as he faces Japanese fighter Takeya Mizugaki in the WEC.
The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight stating bout agreements have been issued at this point for the bantamweight showdown.
After a successful run at featherweight that including a long title reign, Urijah Faber (23-4) ran into a tough contest in his last fight, facing current 145lb king Jose Aldo at the first ever WEC pay-per-view. Faber lost a unanimous decision to the Brazilian champion, and afterwards speculation began immediately about a move down in weight for the "California Kid."
Faber had gone back and forth with the decision due to teammate and close friend Joseph Benavidez also competing in that division, but ultimately he's decided to make the move and will face a tough test in his first fight at 135lbs.
Takeya Mizugaki (13-4-2) made quite the impression on American fans during his WEC debut in 2009 after stepping in as a late replacement to face then champion Miguel Torres for the bantamweight belt. Mizugaki lost a decision to Torres, but gained a slew of fans after battling for every second in the fight, and proving he could hang with the best in the world at 135lbs.
Since that time, Mizugaki has gone 2-1 in the WEC with wins over Jeff Curran and most recently over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Rani Yahya at the WEC pay-per-view in April. The Japanese heavy hitter will be the first to welcome Faber to the division in August.
The August 18 event has not yet been announced by the WEC, but early indicators are that the show will take place in Las Vegas. MMAWeekly will have more information about the show as it becomes available.
The former WEC featherweight champion will make the move down to 135lbs for his next fight on August 18 as he faces Japanese fighter Takeya Mizugaki in the WEC.
The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight stating bout agreements have been issued at this point for the bantamweight showdown.
After a successful run at featherweight that including a long title reign, Urijah Faber (23-4) ran into a tough contest in his last fight, facing current 145lb king Jose Aldo at the first ever WEC pay-per-view. Faber lost a unanimous decision to the Brazilian champion, and afterwards speculation began immediately about a move down in weight for the "California Kid."
Faber had gone back and forth with the decision due to teammate and close friend Joseph Benavidez also competing in that division, but ultimately he's decided to make the move and will face a tough test in his first fight at 135lbs.
Takeya Mizugaki (13-4-2) made quite the impression on American fans during his WEC debut in 2009 after stepping in as a late replacement to face then champion Miguel Torres for the bantamweight belt. Mizugaki lost a decision to Torres, but gained a slew of fans after battling for every second in the fight, and proving he could hang with the best in the world at 135lbs.
Since that time, Mizugaki has gone 2-1 in the WEC with wins over Jeff Curran and most recently over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Rani Yahya at the WEC pay-per-view in April. The Japanese heavy hitter will be the first to welcome Faber to the division in August.
The August 18 event has not yet been announced by the WEC, but early indicators are that the show will take place in Las Vegas. MMAWeekly will have more information about the show as it becomes available.
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