Another Super Saturday is upon us, and while the drill may be the same for the fans, this cannot be said for Zuffa. In fact, the near exact opposite is the case for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and its brass. The roughly twelve year hiatus from the last UFC event in the Land of the Rising Sun has been a long one. The climate has changed considerably and the powers that be have a lot riding on the potential of creating a new foreign market...potentially the largest fan-base addition this side of Brazil. Tonight the largest MMA promotion in the world sets up its travelling circus in the same venue that housed the former largest MMA promotion in the world: the world-famous Saitama Super Arena.
For those of us still writing, "PRIDE NEVA DIE!" on all our checks, tonight is something special beyond another night of exciting matchups. It's a night of nostalgia-a welcome throwback to an amazing era that still holds a special place in the heart of many fans. I highly recommend taking a look at the stellar, "Ghosts of Saitama," series available for reading at our good friends of MMAMania.
Tonight may be business as usual for UFC and the sport of MMA's newer wave of fans, but for the UFC and for those of us who have experienced the awe and wonder that was Pride Fighting Championships, tonight is about a little bit more than a night of action-packed fights. Tonight, for a few hours, we relive an era that is anything but forgotten.
Preliminary Card
As with both Brazilian events, the UFC has unsurprisingly stocked the fight card with Japanese fighters aplenty, coupled with a few who hold a special place in the eyes of Japanese fans.
• Takeya Mizugaki gets unfairly underrated by analysts due to his losing efforts against the bantamweight division's best. But when your recent losses are made up of names like Faber, Bowles, Jorgensen, and Torres, you're not necessarily a chump, yourself. Mizugaki is comparable to another fighter on tonight's card, Cheick Kongo. Essentially a gatekeeper of the division, albeit arguably more relevant in his relative division. He should highlight the skillset difference between himself and Chris Caraiso and cruise to a decision W.
• Expect Tiequan Zhang to come out with a fire lit under his ass after his recent defeats. That combined with his veteran savy and the Octagon jitters of Issei Tamura should spell a submission victory.
• There's a lot of X-factors in the Steve Cantwell-Riki Fukuda fight, such as the latter's long layoff, Cantwell's recovery, and the fact that Cantwell may choose to adjust his style significantly in order to snag a win. Although I usually never try and pick guys coming off long layoffs, I'm going to go with Fukuda via decision.
• Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee is an intriguing match-up. Kid Yamamoto exemplifies the recurring tale of the fallen king. Back when Japanese MMA was pushing the sport with honor and tradition, Yamamoto shared more in common with his American counterparts...Littered with tattoos, crazy hair, creepy sneers, and his dedication to wrestling all made him stand out. To top it off, he was an absolute killer, ranking on all major pound-for-pound lists. He now struggles to merely remain relevant and silence those who argue he's merely living nostalgia. Lee is a fresher face who's looking to make a name for himself off of the fallen Yamamoto. The one-time Ultimate Fighter hopeful surely wants to capitalize by getting Yamamoto to the ground where he can utilize his strong transitions and guard passing, which could spell trouble for the veteran. Containing Yamamoto on the ground isn't going to be as easy as one would think. Combine that with Kid's brutality standing up and bulletproof chin and Lee has his work cut out for him. Yamamoto via brutal TKO.
• Takanori Gomi vs Eiji Mitsuoka represents a similar type of stylistic matchup Gomi has faced since joining the UFC more or less. It's a shame, too. I'm not saying anyone should be given gimme fights, but I find this chronic booking of bad stylistic match-ups for The Fireball Kid a bad business move. He has potential to be a more value commodity if booked for fireworks from time to time, rather than just being brought in as a temporary means to build a few stars with his name value. Mitsuoka has impressive grappling credentials, manages to score mount often, has a strong-based top game, and has legit wrestling to compliment his submission game. One could argue that he may be a worse match-ups in some capacity than some of Gomi's previous few. Still, if Gomi's recent trend of being hesitant to pull the trigger is broken, which I expect to be the case in front of his homeland, a motivated Gomi spells trouble for Mitsuoka. While Mitsuoka isn't atrocious on the feet, Gomi doesn't have to worry about being conned into a ploy stand-up to set up a takedown like he did against Diaz or Florian. I expect Gomi to predict the takedown even moreso since it's his opponent's only real option and be ready. As long as that's the case, it's only a matter of time until he separates Mitsuoka from his senses. Gomi via blistering KO.
Stay tuned for breakdowns of the main card fights.
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