Takeya Mizugaki is considered one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC’s bantamweight division. Rarely caught up in a boring fight, Mizugaki has won fans over with a style of combat that creates great moments whenever he enters the cage. Takeya Mizugaki (15-6-2, 2-1 UFC) meets Chris Cariasco (12-3, 2-1 UFC).
On paper this is a mismatch as Takeya Mizugaki is currently ranked 12th on the USA Today / BE Consensus Rankings, so a win for Cariasco would definitely elevate him into the top 25 of the division. Mizugaki’s status in the division wouldn’t change much with a win but with the state of the Bantamweight division, it’s possible he could find his name in title talks if he wins impressively. This fight kicks off the FX portion of the card which is set to air at 8:00 PM ET.
How do these two stack up?
Mizugaki: 28 years old | 5’7″ | 69.5″ reach
Cariasco: 30 years old | 5’3″ | 64.5 reach
What have these two done recently?
Mizugaki: W – Cole Escovedo (TKO) | L – Brian Bowles (DEC) | W – Reuben Duran (DEC)
Cariasco: W – Vaughan Lee (DEC) | Michael McDonald (DEC) | W – Will Campuzano (DEC)
How did these two get here?
Takeya Mizugaki was brought into the WEC to challenge Miguel Torres for the bantamweight title. Though he was not victorious, he impressed fans and walked away with a fight of the night bonus. Since then he’s been incredibly consistent in his inconsistency. He has picked up wins over lower ranked competition and has dropped fights against ranked opponents in Torres, Scott Jorgensen, Urijah Faber, and Brian Bowles.
Like Mizugaki, Chris Cariasco is consistent in his inconsistency. The big difference between the two fighters is that Cariasco has snuck by with very little media attention in his losses against Renan Barao and Michael McDonald. Incredibly undersized for bantamweight, it is possible that with a loss tonight Cariasco will join the newly created flyweight division.
Why should you care?
Takeya Mizugaki has never been in a boring fight and against Chris Cariasco I doubt that changes. It’s also a free fight on FX so there’s no excuse to not watch anyway.
You can catch more UFC 144 preview content from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson
UFC 144 Weigh-In Video And Coverage – Tim Burke
UFC 144: Anthony Pettis Vs. Joe Lauzon Dissection – Dallas Winston
UFC 144: The Bloody Elbow Judo Chops Of Frankie Edgar Vs. Ben Henderson – Fraser Coffeen
UFC 144: Edgar Vs. Henderson Staff Predictions – Tim Burke
UFC 144: Jake Shields Wants UFC To Make Sure Yoshihiro Akiyama Doesn’t Cheat – Brent Brookhouse
UFC 144: Yushin Okami Vs. Tim Boetsch Dissection – Dallas Winston
UFC 144 Video: Dana White Video Blog Episode 2 – Kid Nate
UFC 144: Rampage Jackson On The Streets Of Tokyo – Kid Nate
UFC 144: Dana White Wants You To Know The UFC Didn’t Kill PRIDE – Brent Brookhouse
UFC 144: The Epic Drama Of Yoshihiro Akiyama – Fraser Coffeen
UFC 144: Is Frankie Edgar Being Underrated Against Ben Henderson? – Fraser Coffeen
UFC 144: Hatsu Hioki Vs. Bart Palaszewski Dissection – Dallas Winston
UFC 144 Roundtable: Can The UFC Succeed In Japan? – Tim Burke
UFC 144 Predictions: Pros Slightly Favor Frankie Edgar To Beat Ben Henderson – Brent Brookhouse
UFC 144: Takanori Gomi Vs. Eiji Mitsuoka Dissection – Dallas Winston
UFC 144 Judo Chop: Benson Henderson And The Miracle of Survival Part 2 of 2 – Ben Thapa
UFC 144 Video: Under PRIDE Rules, Rampage Jackson Dominates Fight Against Ryan Bader – Anton Tabuena
UFC 144 Video: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson Fight Simulation And Prediction – Anton Tabuena
UFC 144 Pre-Fight Press Conference Video – Tim Burke
UFC 144: Yoshihiro Akiyama Leads The UFC Back To Japan – Kid Nate
UFC 144: Norifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto Vs. Vaughan Lee Dissection – Dallas Winston
UFC 144: Riki Fukuda Vs. Steve Cantwell Dissection – Dallas Winston
UFC 144 Judo Chop: Benson Henderson And The Miracle Of Survival Part 1 of 2 – Ben Thapa
UFC 144: Edgar Vs. Henderson Countdown Show Full Video – Anton Tabuena
UFC 144: Edgar Vs. Henderson Betting Lines – Tim Burke
UFC 144 Manga-Style Promo Video – Kid Nate
UFC 144: Takeya Mizugaki Vs. Chris Cariaso Dissection – Dallas Winston
UFC 144: Tiequan Zhang Vs. Issei Tamura Dissection – Dallas Winston