Japanese fighter Takeya Mizugaki (pictured left) continued his good run in the UFC as he scored an entertaining unanimous decision over Nam Phan (pictured right) in bout that will go down as early contender for fight of the night.
It was Phan who came forward early however Japanese fighter Mizugaki landed the better punches. Those shots straight away put Phan on the back foot and 29 year-old Mizugaki was able to use that to secure the takedown. Phan though utilised the cage to work back to his feet as the punches kept coming from Mizugaki with marks starting to appear Phan’s face. Phan did land some shots of his own later in the round, but it was clearly Mizugaki’s round in the opening stanza.
Early in the second round, Mizugaki landed a heavy left hand that rocked Phan and immediately went on the attack attempting to finish the fight, however Phan was able to cover up and survive the onslaught. It seemed to wake Phan up who began to target his opponents body. Mizugaki attempted to take the back as Phan countered by attacking the arm. Mizugaki though was able to escape and momentarily put Phan on his back. Mizugaki finished the round with heavy punches.
As the final round got under-way Phan again attacked the arm while standing, but with both fighters sweating profusely by this stage, Mizugaki was able to slip his way out. Phan landed a big shot that put Mizugaki on wobbly legs and as the two continued to exchange on their feet, Phan started to find the target with his right. With seconds remaining in the fight, Mizugaki again rocked Phan but he was able to survive to the final bell. Crowd loudly applauded both fighters at the conclusion of the fight.
Judges unanimously awarded the fight to Takeya Mizugaki 29-28, 29-28 and 30-28. Mizugaki is now knocking on the door of a top 10 opponent in what was his fourth win in a row in the UFC. It takes his record to 18-7, 2 draws (UFC 6-2). 30 year-old Phan who was making his bantamweight debut, dropped to 18-12, but notably 2-5 inside the UFC and now in danger of being released.
The event was held at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Queensland, Australia and shown live in Australia on Fuel TV.
