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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is rapidly plugging holes in its UFC 148 fight card, currently scheduled for July 7, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The promotion kept the names coming at today's press conference in Calgary. In middleweight action, longtime DEEP veteran Riki Fukuda (18-5) looks to quell the uprising of streaking striker Constantinos Philippou (10-2). Fukuda evened his Octagon record at 1-1 with a unanimous decision win over Steve Cantwell at UFC 144 in February while Philippou made it three straight by outpointing Court McGee at UFC on FX 2 earlier this month. Which one of these talented 185-pounders gets closer to being "in the mix?" UFC 148 is expected to feature a bantamweight title fight between TUF 15 coaches (and bitter rivals) Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, in addition to middleweight match-ups between Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le and Tim Boetsch vs. Michael Bisping. And let's not forget Tito Ortiz's retirement fight rubber match against Forrest Griffin. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on this upcoming fight card as they develop. In the meantime, see what's in store for "Sin City" on July 7 right here.

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The UFC is rapidly filling their stacked summer lineup and just this afternoon, announced two additional fights for their July 7th UFC 148 card in Las Vegas. Demian Maia will make his welterweight debut against the always-tough, Dong Hyun Kim, while power punching middleweight Constantinos Philippou will face rugged Japanese fighter, Riki Fukuda. UFC.com confirmed the bookings: Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Demian Maia will drop to welterweight and be welcomed by the super-tough 15-1 Korean judo expert Dong Hyun Kim.Plus, heavy-hitting middleweights Riki Fukuda and Costa Philippou will clash. The Japanese Fukuda scored a decision win last month at UFC 144; Cyprus-born, Long-Island based Philippou accomplished the same a week later at UFC on FX. Maia had long been mulling a drop down to 170 lbs. after some uninspiring performance in recent bouts. He'll certainly have his hands full with the judoka, Kim, who's shown excellent submission defense in previous fights against the likes of Nate Diaz, and will be happy to put his judo to the test against the BJJ of Maia, although given Maia's preference to strike recently, it'll be interesting to see who looks to take it to the ground first. The Cyprus-born, Ray Longo and Matt Serra-trained Philippou has started to attract a lot of attention recently while showing off his heavy hands and technical boxing in the midst of a three-fight winning streak, including a recent unanimous decision win over Court McGee, which handed the TUF Season 11 champion his first loss inside the Octagon. Fukuda rebounded from a controversial loss to Nick Ring in his UFC debut by outpointing Steve Cantwell at UFC 144 in Japan last month. The Japanese brawler will be taking a sizable step up in competition now and will have find a way to avoid the knockout power of Philippou. UFC 148 coverage

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In the third bout of the UFC 144 preliminary card, Riki Fukuda busted up Steve Cantwell over 15 minutes and picked up a wide unanimous decision victory. The scores were 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 in favor of the Japanese fighter. Fukuda showed no ill effects of the knee injury he suffered in a car accident last year, peppering Cantwell with solid shots for all three rounds. Cantwell gassed out late and showed weak defense on the feet. The bout was the second of four preliminary fights that aired on FX. Fukuda started the fight with a quick takedown, and mixed up his striking well with a high volume of kicks and wide punches when it was back on the feet. Cantwell responded well with some knees and single punches, but it wasn't enough to take the round. Cantwell started the second better, grabbing Fukuda in a guillotine that looked tight. Riki escaped though, and blitzed "The Robot" with uppercuts, hooks, and leg kicks for the rest of the next two rounds while Cantwell looked a bit lost as to how to get back on track. Fukuda improved to 1-1 in the UFC with the win, while Cantwell dropped his fifth straight in the UFC (the first man to do so) and is almost guaranteed to be released. What was the high spot of this fight? There isn't one thing that really stands out, but Fukuda's uppercuts in the second round were pretty nice. Where do these guys go from here? Fukuda could arguably be 2-0 in the UFC (the loss to Nick Ring was highly controversial and Dana White gave Fukuda his win bonus) and looks to have a solid, well-rounded game that would make him a tough fight for a lot of UFC middleweights. It's still early in his Zuffa career though, so a logical matchup might be against the winner of the Cyrille Diabate vs. Jorgen Kruth bout scheduled for UFC on Fuel 2. Cantwell is going to get released. You can't lose five fights in a row in the UFC, none of them controversial in the least, and continue to be gainfully employed by the top organization in the world. He won't have a problem finding fights though, and I'm sure we'll be hearing about him again soon. Watch it now, later or never? Later. Fukuda busted him up and it was a pretty fun fight that might get a "now" on another card, but UFC 144 is full of awesome fights. This one can wait. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson More Bloody Elbow coverage of UFC 144 in the full entry. UFC 144 Results: Winners, Losers, And Other Thoughts - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Results: Frankie Edgar Doesn't 'Need' To Drop To Featherweight - Brent Brookhouse UFC 144 Results: Rampage Jackson Goes Out Like A Lamb In Loss To Ryan Bader - Nate Wilcox UFC 144 Results: Ben Henderson And Anthony Pettis Ready For Rematch - Nate Wilcox UFC 144: Edgar Vs. Henderson Results And Post-Fight Analysis - Brent Brookhouse UFC 144 Results: Dana White Says Anthony Pettis Will 'Likely' Get Next UFC Lightweight Title Shot - Bloody Elbow UFC 144 Post-Fight Press Conference Video UFC Japan Video: Georges St. Pierre Gets Attacked By A Mob Of Kids With Samurai Foam Swords - Bloody Elbow Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 139: UFC 144 Results Review UFC 144 Results: Ryan Bader Dominates Rampage Jackson To Decision - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Results: Mark Hunt Knocks Out Cheick Kongo In The First Round - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Results: Jake Shields Wins Hard Fought Decision Over Yoshihiro Akiyama - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Results: Tim Boetsch Upsets Yushin Okami In The Third Round - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Post-Fight Press Conference Video UFC 144 Results: Hatsu Hioki Defeats Bart Palaszewski By Unanimous Decision - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Results: Anthony Pettis Knocks Out Joe Lauzon In The First Round - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Results: Takanori Gomi Stops Eiji Mitsuoka In The Second - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Results: Vaughan Lee Submits Kid Yamamoto With An Armbar - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Results: Riki Fukuda Dominates Steve Cantwell To Decision - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Results: Chris Cariaso Defeats Takeya Mizugaki By Unanimous Decision - Matthew Roth UFC 144 Results: Issei Tamura Knocks Out Tiequan Zhang - Matthew Roth

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SAITAMA -- This is the UFC 144 live blog for all the preliminary bouts in support of tonight's UFC pay-per-view from the Saitama Super Arena. Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka, Vaughan Lee vs. Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto, Steve Cantwell vs. Riki Fukuda and Chris Cariaso vs. Takeya Mizugaki are the four bouts to be televised on FX. Issei Tamura vs. Tiequan Zhang is the one bout to be carried on Facebook. Follow the live blog below. More Coverage: UFC 144 Results | Latest UFC News Issei Tamura vs. Tiequan Zhang Round 1: Tamura lands a lead left hook. Moments later, Zhang drops Tamura with a hook of his own. Wild start and Tamura is quickly back to his feet and drills Zhang with a combo and now Zhang is down. Tamura follows him to the mat with ground and pound. Tamura holds the position well and repeatedly lands hammerfists from the top. Tamura works well from the half-guard but ref Herb Dean stands them up with about two minutes left. On the restart, Tamura goes low for the takedown. Zhang attempts a guillotine to no avail. Tamura still on top and he rides out the ride there. Tamura 10-9. Round 2: Some back and forth standup to start the round. Bad idea for Zhang, who eats a crushing overhand right. He crashes to the mat unconsious, and UFC 144 begins with a bang. Winner: Issei Tumura via KO, Rd. 1 (0:32) Chris Cariaso vs. Takeya Mizugaki Round 1: Cariaso wastes little time coming out with a head kick. It misses. Cariaso lands a right-left combo that snaps Mizugaki's head back. Miguzaki dove low for a takedown but Cariaso sidestepped him. Mizugaki got inside, secured a body lock and took Cariaso down midway through. Cariaso threatened with an oma plata. Mizugaki escaped and retained top position, peppering him with short punches to the ribs. Mizugaki stayed in Cariaso's guard, limiting his effectiveness, but he probably did just enough to win the round, 10-9. Round 2: Cariaso's shorter, more compact strikes are landing more often in the standup. Mizugaki is looking for power punches. Good start to the round for Cariaso. Mizugaki shoots in and bulls Mizugaki against the fence. Mizugaki again is able to take him down. Mizugaki is slow with the offense. Cariaso sweeps out and free. Cariaso lands a short elbow as the close round ends. Cariaso 10-9. Round 3: Cariaso tried a takedown, hoping to turn the tables. Mizugaki defended. Cariaso connects with a combination as they break and reset. A clinch against the fence. Cariaso with a nice short elbow. They break again. Cariaso tries a high kick and slips down. Mizugaki immediately swarms him, taking top position in what could be a crucial turning point. Cariaso working hard from the bottom but Mizugaki works offense from the top with elbows and short punches. Cariaso gets to his feet with 10 seconds remaining, but it's Mizugaki's round, 10-9. Winner: Chris Cariaso via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Steve Cantwell vs. Riki Fukuda Round 1: Cantwell lands a headkick as Fukuda was leaning forward to move into a takedown. Fukuda ate the kick and completed his takedown. Cantwell looked for an arm bar. No dice. Fukuda peppered Cantwell with a series of left hands from the top. Fukuda then postured up and switched to rights. Cantwell with an active guard but he's eating punches. Finally, Cantwell creates space and gets to his feet. Cantwell lands a hard right hand. Fukuda shoots low, and Cantwell stops the attempt. Fukuda moves forward with a combo, finishing with a hard left. Cantwell with a series of kicks late. A competitive round that MMA Fighting scores for Fukuda 10-9. Round 2: The two trade leg kicks early. Fukuda scores a takedown. Cantwell snatches a guillotine. Fukuda wouldn't let him close his guard and snakes free. They move back to their feet and Cantwell lands some strikes from the clinch. Fukuda with a left hook, then a kick to the body as he continues his diverse striking game. He backs Cantwell to the fence and fires off a series of strikes. Cantwell may be tiring. Cantwell works out and the crowd cheers the exchange. The duo begin to trade late in the round. With :35 left a leg kick lands low on Cantwell, and the illegal strike leads to a timeout. Cantwell takes Fukuda down with :20 left but can't do anything with it as the round ends. It's Fukuda's round 10-9. Round 3: Fukuda lighting Cantwell up early. Cantwell's gas tank is low and he's more of a stationary target now, and Fukuda's finding him. Fukuda takes him down two minutes in. Cantwell is active from the bottom, but Fukuda ends up taking his back. Cantwell escapes quickly and he's back to his feet. Fukuda going to the body. His striking isn't textbook but he comes from different angles and targets every part of the body. Fukuda is teeing off late as Cantwell fades. Cantwell has lost his last four and it looks like his losing streak will go to five as it's another Fukuda round. Winner: Riki Fukuda via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) Vaughan Lee vs. Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto Round 1: Yamamoto dancing along the outside of the octagon as Lee follows him around. One minute in and little action, but Yamamoto blasts a right hook that just misses. Yamamoto with another right hook, Lee ducks underneath it. Moments later, another one and this one finds its mark. Lee stumbles backwards and Yamamoto follows with a series of punches, carefully trying to pick his target. Lee covers up well though. Yamamoto sees he's OK and backs off. On the reset, Lee lands a knee that rocks Yamamoto. Lee hurt Yamamoto again, this time with a right hook. Lee rushed him but Yamamoto took him down. Lee went for a triangle, then switched to an arm bar, and Yamamoto had to tap. Winner: Vaughan Lee via submission (arm bar), Rd. 1 (4:29) Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka Round 1:

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The UFC 144 prelims took place tonight on Facebook and FX networks from Saitama, Japan. Fighters Takanori Gomi, Vaughn Lee, Riki Fukuda, Chris Cariaso, Issei Tamura were all victorious on the undercard of tonight’s event. Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy as we start play-by-play for tonight’s main card highlighted by a lightweight title bout between champion Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson. Gomi survives early trouble to defeat Mitsuoka Takanori Gomi survived early trouble from late replacement AJ Mitsuoka to win big in the second round. Mitsuoka knocked down Gomi in the first and landed a back-mounted triangle that had Gomi in trouble before the bell rang. In the second, Gomi roared back and rocked Mitsuoka with a knee to the body. Gomi eventually took Mitsuoka’s back and fired strike after strike until the referee was forced to step in. Lee finishes Yamamoto in slugfest Vaughn Lee did something no one had ever done Saturday night by submitting Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto. Both fighters rocked each other in the opening round as both fighters looked to crush the other. Lee then rocked Yamamoto on a nice exchange but was taken down by a cross-ankle pick when he rushed in. Lee did not allow Yamamoto to take the advantage as immediately attacked with a triangle. Kid defended the triangle but Lee transitioned beautifully to an armbar that forced the Japanese fighter to tap. The win improved Lee to 1-1 in the UFC, while “Kid” dropped to 0-3 in the UFC and 18-6-1 overall. Cantwell fades badly as a relentless Fukuda hammers out a win Steve Cantwell started strong in the first and briefly looked like he would finish Fukuda in the second round via guillotine choke but Riki Fukuda battled back in impressive fashion to win the fight. The Cantwell choke attempt was the turning point in this one as it as nearly all Fukuda for the remainder of the fight. Fukuda had Cantwell reeling on the cage in both the second and third rounds but Cantwell somehow stayed on his feet. The win brings Fukuda to 1-1 in the UFC after his controversial loss to Nick Ring at UFC 127. Cariaso edges Mizugaki in surprising decision Chris Cariaso won a controversial decision over Takeya Mizugaki that drew a chorus of boos from the Japanese crowd. Despite getting takedowns in all three rounds and spending most of the fight in top control, Mizugaki was dropped to 1-2 in the UFC. While the decision was surprising, Cariaso was very active off his back and attacked the entire time with an omoplata early and a nice sweep in the second. While Cariaso was very active on his feet the majority of his strikes appeared to be checked by Mizugaki. With the win, Cariaso improved to 3-1 in the UFC. Tamura crushes Zhang Both Issei Tamura and Tiequan Zhang came ready to battle in the opening fight with both fighters landing knockdowns but Tamura came away with the huge knockout. Tamura and Zhang battled each other in the first with multiple knockdowns and submission attempts in the first round. In the second round, both fighters looked to stand and bang. Tamura managed to land a massive shot as Zhang loaded up. The strike put Zhang out cold and put Tamura in the driver’s seat for “knockout of the night”

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In the UFC's first trip to Japan since Zuffa bought the promotion, Riki Fukuda, Chris Cariaso and Issei Tamura were early winners at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Fukuda beats up Cantwell Riki Fukuda dominated Steve Cantwell on … Continue reading →

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Riki Fukuda defeats Steve Cantwell by Unanimous Decision. The judges scored the fight 29-28, 30-27, 30-27. Steve Cantwell opened the first round with a head kick but was quickly taken to the ground by Riki Fukuda. Fukuda landed plenty of punches from the guard and didn't allow the former WEC light heavyweight champion to control his posture. Fukuda stood up and allowed Cantwell enough space to stand as well. Fukuda threw a basic 1-2 combination and then a lazy shot but couldn't complete the takedown attempt. Fukuda established his boxing well and used head movement to stay out of danger. Cantwell pushed forward with a combination but couldn't find his range. Kicks from Cantwell to close the round. Cantwell opened the second round with leg kicks. Riki Fukuda attempted a takedown and Steve Cantwell locked in a guillotine choke on the way down. Fukuda was in a bad situation but remained calm and regained his feet. Fukuda landed three uppercuts and followed up with kicks to the legs and body. Fukuda came forward and teed off on Cantwell with punches and knees to the body. Steve Cantwell allowed Fukuda to land his uppercuts at multiple occasions. Cantwell didn't attempted to circle away, instead opted to allow Fukuda to land punches. Fukuda threw a kick that landed low which caused a stop in the action. Steve Cantwell hit a takedown as the round ended. Fukuda the aggressor as the third opened. Cantwell resolved himself to allowing Fukuda to throw punches. Fukuda completed a takedown. Cantwell threw his legs up for a gogoplata but lost the position which allowed Fukuda to eventually take his back. Fukuda stood up and landed to the head and body. Cantwell was essentially a heavy bag as the third round entered the final minute. Cantwell essentially too tired to get knocked out. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson

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In a prelim fight as part of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson, Japan's Riki Fukuda (17-5; 0-1 UFC) faces Steve Cantwell (7-5; 1-4 UFC). This fight is in the Middleweight division and is the second of four fights on the prelims live on FX. Prelims begin this Saturday, February 25 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, with the PPV card beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Neither Fukuda nor Cantwell are currently ranked in the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings. As is the theme with much of this card, this fight fits into the mold of Japanese fighter vs. foreigner. That's a set-up that has long been of interest to Japanese fans, and UFC 144 will look to capitalize on it. One thing that makes this fight a bit different is that Fukuda is not a big name in Japan, as he never reached the level of most of his Japanese counterparts on the rest of the show. It will be interesting to see what kind of response he gets from the crowd. How do these two stack up? Fukuda: 31 years old | 6'0" | 73" reachCantwell: 25 years old | 6'2" | 75" reach What have these two done recently? Fukuda: L - Nick Ring (UD) | W - Ryuta Sakurai (TKO) | W - Hiromitsu Kanehara (Dec)Cantwell: L - Mike Massenzio (UD) | L - Cyrille Diabate (UD) | L - Brian Stann (UD) How did these two get here? Riki Fukuda is a veteran of the Japanese independent scene, where he competed for organizations such as DEEP, Shooto, and Pancrase. His biggest win came at Dream.8 when he stepped in as a late replacement and defeated Ninja Rua. He signed with the UFC and met Nick Ring at UFC 127. Fukuda controlled the fight, but lost a very controversial decision. Most people, including Dana White, still consider that bout a win for Fukuda. He's been on the shelf since that fight, partly due to injury. Fukuda looked good against Ring and, despite the loss, seemed ready for a promising UFC career - can he get back on track after a year away? Cantwell is a WEC veteran and was the last ever WEC Light Heavyweight champion, having won the belt from Brian Stann in 2008. When Zuffa closed that division, Cantwell was brought into the UFC. With his 6-1 record and his belt, he was an exciting prospect. He won his UFC debut, but has really struggled ever since. Cantwell has lost his last 4 fights, all via decision. Last time out, he dropped down to Middleweight, and this will be his second fight at 185. I'm tempted to say he's fighting for his job here - surely he can't drop 5 straight and stay in the UFC, right? But I said that last time too. Still, he clearly needs a win, and badly. Why should you care? Despite his losing streak, Cantwell is an entertaining fighter as he uses nice striking to engage his opponents. There also remain high hopes for Fukuda's future in the division. I expect this one won't be the best fight of the night, but it will be a solid affair. For a more in-depth look at Fukuda vs. Cantwell, be sure to read Dallas Winston's always excellent Dissection. More UFC 144 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson UFC 144 Judo Chop: The Striking Defense of Mark Hunt - Fraser Coffeen UFC 144: Rampage Jackson Misses Weight By Five Pounds, Loses 20% Of Purse While Fight Goes On - Brent Brookhouse 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: Should The Winner Of Joe Lauzon Vs. Anthony Pettis Get The Next Title Shot? - Brent Brookhouse 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: Rampage Jackson Is A Death Sentence For Ryan Bader According To Michael Bisping - Brent Brookhouse 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

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SAITAMA, February 26 - The UFC’s first event in Japan since 2000 started strong, with a loud fan base soundly in place for the event, which began at 9:30 am local time. But if there’s anything that can wake up a crowd, it’s a massive KO from a hometown hero, and from the first fight on, the Saitama Super Arena was in full-on MMA mode. While they politely applauded every win, the cheers for their countrymen were deafening, as Japan eventually went 3-3 in the first five fights (one being a bout between two Japanese fighters). Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji MitsuokaIn the “headlining” bout of the UFC 144 prelims, two Japanese fighters and PRIDE vets met inside the Octagon, with Takanori Gomi ruining the UFC debut of Eiji Mitsuoka via 2nd round TKO. Though Mitsuoka was heralded as a submission expert, the lightweight appeared to pack power in his hands, too. Gomi started in the center of the cage with his hands down, but one touch from Mitsuoka was all it took to inspire Gomi to keep his hands up. Mitsuoka found a home for his right straight and left hook, then went for a takedown that Gomi avoided. Gomi landed some solid kicks and goaded Mitsuoka forward with some flapping jabs reminiscent of the Diaz brothers, both of whom he has fought. After scoring with a kick, “The Fireball Kid” came in wild, and Mitsuoka caught him flush with a right, dropping  Gomi. Mitsuoka took his opponent’s back high up and locked him in a mounted triangle choke from behind. Though Gomi looked like he was about to tap, he waited out the round and survived. The wounded Gomi came alive in the second, as his counters connected regularly and he became much more aggressive with his striking. A wild slugfest left Mitsuoka backpedaling, and uppercuts and knees from the clinch seemed to overwhelm the UFC newcomer. Mitsuoka desperately dove for a leg and tried to drag Gomi to the ground, but Gomi used the cage to stay in control and chipped away at his opponent with body shots. Finally, the former PRIDE champion spun into top position and hammerfisted away at Mitsuoka, who could do little more than curl up as the ref called the fight at 2:21 of the second round. Gomi’s latest win leaves the legend with a 33-8 (1 NC) record; Mitsuoka departs 18-8-2.Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Vaughan LeeBirmingham, England’s Vaughan “Love” Lee got his first Octagon win against one of his heroes, the hugely popular Dream, K-1 and Shooto vet Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto.Lee staked out the center of the Octagon to begin, as Yamamoto circled. Though each one tested his range, there was no clear advantage between the two bantamweights. But that quiet two-minute feeling-out process paid off for the fans as Yamamoto connected with a punch that rocked Lee. Sensing that his opponent was hurt, Yamamoto swarmed, unleashing lefts, rights and knees as the crowd screamed and Lee covered up against the cage. Having weathered the onslaught, Lee came out more confidently, charging forward with his own combos. A right hand clipped Yamamoto, and as Lee moved forward to capitalize, the wrestler in Yamamoto took over. Despite being jarred, Yamamoto instinctively and easily got the takedown. From the bottom, Lee quickly worked for a triangle choke, delivered elbows to Yamamoto’s head, then locked in an armbar and got the tap 4:29 in. The win – Lee’s seventh by submission – improves the Brit’s record to 12-7-1; Yamamoto slips to 18-6 (1 NC). Riki Fukuda vs. Steve CantwellA US vs. Asia middleweight matchup between a striker and a wrestler sounds like a recipe for three rounds of lay and pray, but when the American in the formula is the striker and the Asian fighter the grappler, things can look mighty different. Such was the case as Riki Fukuda took on Steve “The Robot” Cantwell  in a three-round war that featured the kind of non-stop action usually seen between bantamweights.  Fukuda brought the night to 2-1 for the Japanese fighters by outstriking and grappling the American to a unanimous decision win.In the wild first round, Fukuda immediately caught a Cantwell kick and bulled him to the mat. Fukuda came on hard, relentless with blows to the body, then elbows and finally hammerfists to the face, the crowd reacting happily to each connect. Cantwell alternated between submission attempts and survival mode, and eventually Fukuda let him up and pushed Cantwell against the cage briefly before returning to the center of the cage. From there it was a back-and-forth stand-up match, with Fukuda moving forward but Cantwell connecting with strikes of his own, “The Robot” closing the round with a loud kick. The second round started with an emphasis downstairs, as both men scored with huge leg kicks. Fukuda  got a single-leg that landed him squarely in a guillotine, with one leg caught in Cantwell’s guard. Cantwell rolled to shore up the choke, but apparently decided it wasn’t going to work and stood up. From there, Fukuda took the offensive on the feet, and though both landed throughout the round, Fukuda pushed the action. Twice Fukuda stunned Cantwell into dropping his hands, but the Las Vegan's inhuman chin let him weather the storm despite an increasingly swollen, bloodied face. As Cantwell moved forward despite the punishment, the crowd – nearing 20,000 – cheered loudly mid-round. The combatants' power began to fade in the third, but their pace didn’t, with more of the same from both and an impressive head kick from Cantwell. Fukuda used the fence to drive the exhausted Cantwell to the mat, where again a struggle for an armbar ensued. Fukuda briefly took Cantwell’s back in the scramble, but both men were back on their feet soon after. With about 90 seconds left, Cantwell stood with his arms down, and Fukuda came forward with hooks and uppercuts. For the last 40 seconds, the crowd screamed as Fukuda unloaded punches, body blows and kicks as the former WEC light heavyweight champion struggled to muster up any sort of offense (or, at times, defense) .Judges scored the bout 29-28 and 30-27 twice for Fukuda (one judge gave the first round to Cantwell). The loss was Cantwell’s fifth in a row, sending him to a 7-6 record; Fukuda is lifted to 18-5. Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris CariasoThe television portion of the preliminary card opened with what’s usually a surefire recipe for fireworks – two bantamweight strikers. Kanagawa, Japan’s Takeya Mizugaki faced fellow WEC vet Chris Cariaso, and while Cariaso scored few Japanese fans with the nickname “Kamikaze” and his stifling ground defense, he did enough to please the judges, who gave him a 29-28 unanimous decision win. Mizugaki set the pace to open, as the two tested one another with an assortment of kicks and jabs. Cariaso fired off a few successful strikes from the clinch, countered well when Mizugaki whiffed, and shook off a takedown attempt. More confident with the reach differential, the shorter Cariaso then chased Mizugaki backward until – bulled against the fence – Mizugaki scored from the inside with a huge trip. With Mizugaki positioned low in his guard, Cariaso rolled into a convincing armbar, but Mizuagki stood up and shook him off. For the rest of the round, the two struggled for position, the biggest action coming as Mizugaki postured up on his knees to land one crowd-pleasing blow from the top.In the standup to start the second round, Mizugaki got off a few more combos and kicks, while Cariaso scored more on the exits. Another takedown attempt from Mizugaki landed them back on the cage, but this time it was Cariaso working harder for the takedown until Mizugaki got the trip. Again, Mizugaki was able to land a few big shots from inside guard, but was otherwise smothered by the NorCal fighter’s close guard. Cariaso landed a significant head kick at the beginning of the second, but the next couple of minutes were spent against the cage, mostly with Mizugaki on the outside, both men using kicks and working for takedowns. A second high kick from Cariaso caused him to slip to the mat, and Mizugaki followed into guard for more of the moves we’d seen so far. Mizugaki worked his way into half guard for just a second until going back into guard for essentially the rest of the fight.The decision – resoundingly booed by the Tokyo crowd – lifts Cariaso to 13-3 as a pro, while Mizugaki falls to 15-7-2. Tiequan Zhang vs. Issei TamuraIn the morning’s first bout, Chinese guillotine specialist Tiequan Zhang fought Tokyo’s own Issei Tamura. The Krazy Bee-trained Tamura, a late replacement for the injured Leonard Garcia, turned the one-in-a-million opportunity into a star-making turn, scoring a huge KO win in front of his hometown crowd. The fight opened with both featherweights swinging wildly -- Tamura connected first, Zhang dropped Tamura, and  then Tamura dropped Zhang and followed him to the ground. The Japanese fighter did damage from the top with elbows and hammerfists, but Zhang eventually neutralized him enough that referee Herb Dean called for a standup with two minutes left. Back on the feet, Tamura made an impression with with two counter rights, then worked for a takedown. He succeeded, but landed with his head inside one arm of Zhang’s vicious guillotine. Tamura weathered the risk, popped out and finished the round on top. Zhang opened round two more cautiously, the China Top Team product throwing several low leg kicks. As he began his flurry, however, Tamura landed a perfect right hand that sent Zhang to the mat for several minutes. Herb Dean called the fight 32 seconds in, and the crowd – nearly at capacity by the end of the first bout -- erupted into thunderous cheers. The loss drops Zhang to a record of 18-3, with all of his losses coming inside the Octagon; Tamura now stands at 7-2.

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When last the UFC set foot upon the shores of the Land of the Rising Sun, the year was 2000, Matt Hughes had yet to win a UFC championship belt, Kazushi Sakuraba was the bane of anyone with the last name “Gracie”, and a company named Zuffa LLC was forming to purchase the UFC from its original owners, the Semaphore Entertainment Group.  To put it plainly, that was a LONG time ago.  So here we are, in the year 2012, and the biggest, most popular MMA organization in the world is returning to the place where combat sports aren’t considered so much athletic endeavors as they are ways of life.  Do you think the UFC’s latest event – UFC 144 on Saturday night – is going to be as much of a stinker as UFC 29 was back in the day?  Well, since UFC 29 was an extremely large pile of suck, the bar has been set pretty low.  But given that UFC 144 features lightweight champ Frankie Edgar defending his belt against someone not named BJ Penn and Gray Maynard, and there are a whopping seven moderately- to very interesting bouts scheduled for the pay-per-view broadcast, I’d say the UFC’s return to Japan could be a pretty good one.  As the prelims are going to air on the FX network, and I sure as heck get FX as part of my cable plan, here’s a preview of those four preliminary bouts.  The preview of the main card will come tomorrow. -Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka – Gomi’s entrance into the UFC came about four years too late for us to witness firsthand his full fury, and thus far, other than watching him plaster Tyson Griffin, what we’ve seen from the “Fireball Kid” has been pretty lackluster.  But somewhere in that aging lightweight frame is a spark of explosiveness, ready to ignite on an equally-aged opponent’s jaw – and guess what?  UFC 144 foe Mitsuoka fits that “aged” description perfectly.  Mitsuoka is the epitome of “grappling stalwart”, and has been in the game almost as long as Gomi (fun fact: I was there when Mitsuoka drew with Betiss Mansouri at a King of the Cage on the Soboba Indian Reservation).  He never reached the same heights, though, and when it comes down to throwing down, the former Shooto and PRIDE champ should have more than enough left to scorch the KOTC vet.  Watch for Gomi to TKO him early. -Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee – Kid once knocked an opponent out in four seconds with a flying knee.  However, you wouldn’t know he was capable of being exciting based on his two Octagon performances, which were basically grappling clinics with Yamamoto playing the role of grappling dummy.  So what do you do if you’re UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and you’ve got to have the Japanese fighters on your roster shine when your organization comes to Japan?  Feed him a tomato can, of course.  And make no mistake, Brit bantamweight Lee is a tomato can who has neither defeated anyone of consequence nor faced anyone of consequence.  While Lee does seem to know how to apply a submission or two, this one is going to be all about Kid finally showing US fans that he can deliver the whammy when necessary.  Kid via TKO. -Steve Cantwell vs. Riki Fukuda – A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Cantwell once won a WEC light-heavyweight belt.  But those days are gone, and now the well-rounded but generally overmatched dude is riding a four-fight losing streak that just reeks of impending unemployment.  On the flipside, Japanese wrestler (yes, there is such a thing) Fukuda looked pretty solid against Nick Ring before getting shafted on a bad decision, so this one should be a somewhat straightforward case of “American gets roughed up by Japanese guy both on the feet and on the ground”.  The only X-factor here is the fact that Fukuda is coming off a knee injury.  Will that impede him from putting Cantwell out of a job?  I don’t think so.  Fukuda by decision. -Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso – Almost three years ago, Mizugaki was the top contender for the WEC’s bantamweight belt.  Since then, every top fighter he’s faced (Urijah Faber, Scott Jorgensen, Brian Bowles) has trounced him.  But hey, here comes Cariaso, who may be scrappy, but is the farthest thing from a top fighter.  I’m picking Mizugaki to outlast Cariaso and take the decision, mostly because I see this matchup as another case of Joe Silva tossing a Japanese fighter a softball on their home field.

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A middleweight match up between Riki Fukuda and Steve Cantwell will grace the FX channel's four-piece preliminary card lineup for UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson. The FX broadcast begins Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET before the event's loaded seven-fight offering on the main card, which features lightweight champion Frankie Edgar defending the title against Ben Henderson. Riki Fukuda (17-5) made his Octagon debut one year ago as the reigning DEEP middleweight champion and a fairly hyped overseas prospect, meeting Nick Ring in what turned out to be one of the most controversial decisions of 2011. Ring got the unanimous nod but nearly every media source had Fukuda penciled in as the winner. Fukuda established his vaunted wrestling prowess throughout the fight but had trouble keeping the slippery former TUFer on the mat and neither painted a demonstrative case in the stand up exchanges. The unparalleled fervency of high-level wrestling in North American MMA is typically expected to be a shock to the system for a heralded import, yet Fukuda is an exception. His wrestling is not only adequate, but an outright specialty. Fukuda holds a pile of reputable finishes on the All-Japan College wrestling circuit in the Greco Roman and Freestyle categories. He turned heads in his first MMA turn by lasting to a decision with experienced veteran Joe Doerksen, who at the time had thirty-one fights and twenty-two submission wins under his belt. Fukuda won eight of his next nine, which included a second-round TKO over future UFCer Brandon Wolff, before hitting a tepid four-fight stretch where he batted .500, with Joey Villasenor accounting for one of those losses in EliteXC. At this point, Fukuda would soar with a perfect seven-fight sequence that was highlighted by a win over Murilo Rua in the DREAM 8 welterweight tournament. Fukuda was set to face Rafael Natal but injured his knee in a car accident, which required surgery and has sidelined the Team Grabaka fighter since his promotional debut at UFC 127 last February. More UFC 144 Dissections Mizugaki vs. Cariaso | Zhang vs. Tamura Steve "The Robot" Cantwell (7-5) was the WEC light-heavyweight champion when the league underwent its first stage of downsizing and transferred the higher weight classes to UFC. He left the promotion with only one loss to Brian Stann after seven outings, but Cantwell avenged the TKO loss by returning the favor in the second round of their rematch, snaring the 205-pound strap in the process. Cantwell, a BJJ black belt and laudably creative kickboxer, scored a gruesome and cringe-worthy submission win over Roufusport product Razak Al-Hassan in his Octagon debut. From the mount, Cantwell spun for a smooth armbar and then readjusted his angle when Al-Hassan tried to scramble free, treating the at-home viewers to the garish realities of the "tap or snap" catchphrase. The wheels would fall off for Cantwell in his remaining four, as perilous strikers Luiz Cane and Cyrille Diabate out-gunned him on the feet and Stann sealed their trilogy with a win in the rubber match. The three-fight skid inspired a drop to the middleweight division. In his 185-pound premiere, Cantwell started strong but faded out against Team Bombsquad southpaw Mike Massenzio, who handed him his fourth consecutive loss by decision at UFC 136. Gifs and analysis in the full entry. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson In the wrestling department, Fukuda does all the little things right: he's always in range when he shoots, his takedowns are set up properly, he has good head position, gets deep penetration on his double-legs and he continues to drive through to finish them off. On the mat, Fukuda is a calculating technician with solid ground-and-pound and guard-passing skills. He never over-commits or forces anything and has exceptional submission defense. He's a highly durable fighter with a strong chin who's only been finished once in his five defeats. Fukuda is no slouch as a striker either. Already a serviceable boxer, his recent trip to Thailand with teammate Kazuo Misaki to sharpen his kickboxing at Tiger Muay Thai should signify progression on the feet after his lengthy layoff. There are quite a few parallels between Fukuda and Massenzio, who handed Cantwell his last loss: both are southpaw boxers with tight and stiff punches who like to pressure at close range and puzzle their foes by alternating seamlessly from striking to dropping levels to shoot. Steve Cantwell has a visually pleasing and finesse-based kickboxing style. Unfortunately, he's almost become lopsided on the aesthetic end while lacking damage inducing and results-driven striking, i.e. "more show than go." On the bright side, there's no question that Cantwell has a vast arsenal of tactics and implements them creatively. He's thrown the adored Brazilian kick effortlessly in the past and shows shades of Taekwondo in his rear-leg roundhouse kicks. To the right, he leads off with a TKD-type roundhouse and follows up nicely with a short right hand and a left kick to the body. He's also a sturdy boxer with good angles and head movement when he's vitalized, but lately these qualities have dwindled away in later rounds. Cantwell likes to play little strategy games with his kicks from outside. Against Massenzio, he started out keeping him at bay with a long push kick. As soon as Massenzio shield blocked in anticipation of the straight kick, Cantwell raised his leg to simulate the beginnings of a chambered kick and then, pivoting well on his support foot, switched it up to a roundhouse in mid-flight. Unfortunately for Cantwell, it was the chess match of Massenzio's feints that turned the tables. Massenzio amped up his aggression and kept faking takedowns to set up his striking; as soon as Cantwell covered up to stifle the blows, Massenzio capitalized on his upright stance by lowering levels and shooting. He assumed control by putting Cantwell back on his heels and unable to react to the vacillating attacks. And that game-plan is exactly what Riki Fukuda does best. He engages in a striking match with enough ferocity to capture his opponent's full attention and then launches low to the floor to snare takedowns. Unless Cantwell has seriously buttoned up his cardio, I expect him to win the first round with strong takedown defense and slick striking before a blue-collar two and three from Fukuda. There are also some potentially influential X-factors here: I'm giving Cantwell a little lenience for sputtering out in the second and third against Massenzio because it was his virgin run at middleweight Cantwell is probably the best submission fighter that Fukuda has encountered and may push his topside grappling defense to new limits With four straight losses, Cantwell is almost guaranteed to be cut with another defeat and might throw caution to the wind Fukuda is coming off a year-long layoff, a car-crashed knee and subsequent surgery, which fosters a whole pile of concerns My Prediction: Riki Fukuda by decision. All gifs via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com Poll Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell Fukuda Cantwell   4 votes | Results

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In breaking down 2011, you have to wonder what was more painful for Tokyo middleweight Riki Fukuda: injuring his knee in a June car accident or his UFC debut loss to Nick Ring in February via highly controversial decision. A year after the Ring bout, Fukuda has recovered from both setbacks, grateful for the support he received from the fight community, especially those who lit up internet message boards and Twitter with outrage after UFC 127.“I was very happy to hear that most people believed I won the fight, but it was a close match and I did not feel I won 100%,” said Fukuda through manager / translator Fumihiko Ishii. Fukuda, Ring, and the three judges may have been the only ones who didn’t see him as the clear victor in Sydney that night, with UFC President Dana White even chiming in with the tweet “Fukuda got robbed.” But White didn’t stop there.“As you may know Dana treated me as a winner of the fight,” said Fukuda, “and gave me a win bonus, which I sincerely appreciated.”It was almost as if Fukuda’s seven fight winning streak wasn’t snapped, at least in terms of public perception, but if you think the 31-year old is resting on that perception, that’s not the case, as he definitely saw holes in his game that needed sewing up, and when asked what he would have done differently, he says, “I would be more aggressive and throw combination punches in the standup, and try to control the ground game.”And though his next outing at UFC 133 last August against Rafael Natal was scrapped due to the aforementioned car accident, he gets his second shot at a first UFC win this Saturday night against Steve Cantwell, and as far as he’s concerned, the Ring fight is simply a thing of the past.“It was not difficult for me to change my mindset to look at the next fight,” said Fukuda, who will be in with a young man in Cantwell who is in dire need of a win. Currently on a four fight losing streak, the former WEC champion may take even more risks than usual to heighten his chances to break his skid, but Fukuda sees himself just as hungry for victory at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.“I am honored to face a former WEC champion in my hometown,” said Fukuda. “But all of the fighters are looking for the win, including myself since I lost my last fight, and Steve is just one of them.”Unlike some of his countrymen on the UFC’s return to Japan, Fukuda hasn’t been too far removed from his homeland professionally, having fought in Tokyo as recently as August of 2010, when he stopped Ryuta Sakurai in two rounds to retain his Deep middleweight title. But at the same time, a lot has happened since then, both personally and professionally, most notably the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the nation in March of last year. So coming home for this fight means even more for Fukuda.“I am very happy to fight in front of my friends and fans and everyone who helped me to get back in the Octagon after my traffic accident,” he said. “Many friends and family are not able to see my fight due to overseas venues. But this time, they said, ‘I'm going to cheer your fight,’ and it is very encouraging to me. In addition, I would like to deliver my message through my fight to all the people in Japan who are working together to help the victims from the earthquake disaster.”That kind of motivation is tough to beat for any opponent, and in the back of the Japanese fighters’ minds is also the idea that a series of stellar performances from the local heroes can kickstart the MMA scene in the “Land of the Rising Sun.” “Yes, I do think so, as long as we can perform well and have a good show.”Well, when it comes to Fukuda, everything is aligned for such a performance, as he’s healthy, motivated, and has had a solid camp both in Japan with the GRABKA team and in the United States with AKA (American Kickboxing Academy), a team he has worked with for five years.“AKA treated me as a team member and it is like my home in California,” said Fukuda. “They have a great team and coach, which gives me the best training of my career.”Saturday night, he gets to show off that training in his biggest fight yet.“Anything could happen,” he said, “but I am betting on having the fight of my career 100%.”

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Genki desu ka! For the first time in more than one decade, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is heading back to the "Land of the Rising Sun" with some stars, old and new, leading the way at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Feb. 25, 2012. UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar will return to the cage for the first time since his knockout win over Gray Maynard, taking on the surging Ben Henderson in his fourth title defense. In addition, PRIDE superstars like Quinton Jackson and Mark Hunt will return to their old stomping grounds, while Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon square off in a lightweight tilt with serious title implications on the line. Before all that, however, we have a solid set of "Prelims" bouts on the under card, which is filled to the brim international talent, including former Pride FC lightweight champion, Takanori Gomi. Join us after the jump for part one (of two) of our UFC 144 "Prelims" breakdown, including the two of the four fights that will be shown on FX -- Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell and Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso -- and the one the will start the Facebook portion of the telecast (Tiequan Zhang vs. Issei Tamura). Check it out: 185 lbs.: Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell Wrestling specialist Riki Fukuda (17-5), who fights out of the Grabaka gym that famously produced the great Kazuo Misaki, looked like he had broken the curse of Japanese fighters failing in their Octagon debuts in his UFC 127 scrap with Nick Ring, having soundly controlled "Promise" with his relentless takedown attack. Bafflingly, the judges sided unanimously with Ring, and a car accident shortly thereafter has left Fukuda out of the cage for almost a year. One of the grittiest fighter you’re likely to find, Fukuda’s incredible toughness and relentlessness make him a joy to watch, and both he and his countrymen would be greatly pleased to see him score his long-overdue first Octagon victory. At 7-1, with a win over Brian Stann and a disturbing technical submission of Razak Al-Hassan in his UFC debut, Steve Cantwell (7-5) looked poised to make a name for himself in the division. Unfortunately, things soon went about as south as you can go without hitting Mexico, and he now finds himself winless (0-4) since 2009. After getting embarrassed by Cyrille Diabate back at UFC on Versus 3, "Robot" was soundly outstruck and outgrappled by Mike Massenzio in his middleweight debut, and will most likely be fighting for his continued employment against the hometown favorite. Fukuda isn’t a world-beater, but he’s an incredibly tough, entertaining fighter with a solid wrestling game and some decent stand up. His fight with Ryuta Sakurai was one of the more entertaining in recent memory, and I don’t think anyone should hold the Ring fight against him. Cantwell, well, he’s lost four straight. He had absolutely nothing to offer Diabate, didn’t present the mid-tier Massenzio with any issues, and just doesn’t seem to possess any one great ability he can use to overcome Fukuda. While Fukuda has been out for almost 12 months, there’s still enough of a disparity in his and Cantwell’s abilities that he should be fine regardless. Cantwell’s tough enough to survive whatever Fukuda throws at him, but not skilled enough to stop it. Fukuda by dominant, wrestling-centric decision. Prediction: Fukuda via unanimous decision 135 lbs.: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso Highly-successful on the Japanese circuit, Takeya Mizugaki (15-6-2) came out of nowhere in his WEC debut to give then-king Miguel Torres everything he could handle. Since then, he’s gone 4-3, defeating the likes of Jeff Curran and Rani Yahya, while falling to division elite Urijah Faber, Brian Bowles and Scott Jorgensen. Most recently, he scored his first ZUFFA finish, knocking out Cole Escovedo with a nasty punching onslaught. In what is sure to be a barnburner against fellow striking enthusiast Cariaso, Mizugaki has the chance to put together his first winning streak since 2008 in front of his countrymen and will look to make the best of that opportunity. Nobody can accuse Chris Cariaso (12-3) of walking an easy road. After decisioning Rafael Rebello in his WEC debut, he was matched up against Brazilian super-prospect Renan Barao, falling via submission. After defeating Will Campuzano in his UFC debut, "Kamikaze" was paired up with another top-tier prospect: Michael McDonald ... and he very nearly defeated him. Like Mizugaki, Cariaso will be fighting to establish his first win streak in years and make a significant step up the rankings at the same time. With his varied striking arsenal and effective ground game, Cariaso is a migraine in the making for a large portion of the division and would certainly be discussed as a member of its upper echelon with a win on Saturday. It’s interesting to see how their records parallel one another. Every other fight, they get paired up with some top-tier wrecking ball, and since both of them are coming off a win, one has to break his streak of consistent inconsistency. And it’ll be Mizugaki. All four of Mizugaki’s losses have come to title contenders or champions, while he’s beaten solid fighters like Yahya and Curran. Cariaso is undoubtedly skilled and his losses were also to serious competition, but he’s struggled against mid-tier fighters like Campuzano and Lee. As good as he is, the speed and tenacity of Mizugaki will be too much for Cariaso, who doesn’t have the wrestling that has proven necessary to stifle the Japanese dynamo. This has the potential to be "Fight of the Night," and after three entertaining rounds, Mizugaki will find himself with his hand raised and his first two-fight streak in his ZUFFA career. Prediction: Mizugaki via unanimous decision 145 lbs.: Tiequan Zhang vs. Issei Tamura The first of his countrymen to earn a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the first to fight for the UFC, Tiequan Zhang (15-2) raised eyebrows in his World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) debut, choking out Pablo Garza with his patented guillotine in the first round. Roufusport product Danny Downes, however, played spoiler in his second go-around, surviving a hairy first round to decision a fading Zhang. The latter bounced back with an instant submission of Jason Reinhardt in his UFC debut, but fell once again to Darren Elkins at UFC 136. "The Mongolian Wolf" will look to prove himself more than just a marketing tool with a nice guillotine against late replacement Tamura. The 2008 Shooto Rookie champ, the hard-nosed Issei Tamura (6-2) will be entering the Octagon on the heels of second career loss, a narrow decision defeat to veteran Guy Delumeau at Shoot the Shooto 2011. In fact, Tamura is 1-2 in his last three, having lost to well-regarded Taiki Tsuchiya two fights prior. Tamura fights out of the vaunted Krazy Bee gym, home of "KID" Yamamoto and bantamweight wunderkind Kyoji Horiguchi. With Horiguchi having recently suffered his first loss at the hands of Masakatsu Ueda and "KID" struggling, Tamura, who is replacing the injured Leonard Garcia, will look to make the most of this opportunity and bring glory to Krazy Bee. There are several things working in Zhang’s favor -- Tamura is taking this fight on two weeks notice, he’s 1-2 in his last three, and he’s never fought in the cage before. Further, he has less than half the experience of Zhang and has only one finish to his credit. But, styles make fights, and Tamura’s looks to me to be just what the doctor ordered to beat Zhang. Tamura isn’t a complicated fighter -- he throws hard, bulls you over for a takedown, and doesn’t do much once he’s there. He’s perfectly willing to sit in the guard of a high-level grappler, as demonstrated by his victory over Gustavo Falciroli. While Zhang is no slouch on the ground, his fight with Elkins proved that he can be overwhelmed by determined wrestlers, which pretty much describes Tamura. Zhang is completely capable of latching onto Tamura’s neck when the latter inevitably shoots and choking him out, but if that fails, he doesn’t have the takedown defense to stifle Tamura. Further, with Zhang’s cardio issues, his window of opportunity pretty much consists of one round, while Tamura can easily go hard through three. It won’t be pretty, but Tamura will buck the curse of Japanese debutants with a grinding decision victory. Prediction: Tamura via unanimous decision Stop by tomorrow for a look at the last two bouts on the undercard, featuring two of the greatest Japanese in modern history, "The Fireball Kid" and "KID" Norifumi Yamamoto. See you then! Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 144, beginning with the "Prelims" bout on Facebook scheduled for around 7:30 p.m. ET. In addition, we will also provide LIVE, real-time results of the main card action as it happens throughout the evening this upcoming weekend.

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After four straight losses inside the Octagon, it's safe to say that Steve Cantwell is in a do-or-die situation. That could be bad news for Riki Fukuda, who will do "The Robot" at UFC 144 on Feb. 25, 2012, from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. MMA Weekly brought word of the pending match-up earlier today. Cantwell (7-5) lost back-to-back decisions to Luiz Cane and Brian Stann back in 2009, before taking a medical hiatus to deal with health issues that kept him riding the pine for well over a year. He returned in March of this year and picked up right where he left off, dropping back-to-back decisions, this time to Cyrille Diabate and Mike Massenzio. Here's to hoping the sun isn't the only thing that will rise in next year's trip overseas. Waiting for him will be Fukuda, who did what most Japanese mixed martial arts stars do in their UFC debut: He lost. That came at the hands of former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) contestant Nick Ring, who convinced the judges he was the better man at UFC 127 last February. The former DEEP star will have the hometown crowd on his side for this middleweight mash-up. UFC 144 is expected to be headlined by a 155-pound title fight featuring Ben Henderson, fresh off his unanimous decision win over Clay Guida, taking on reigning lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. In addition, Jake Shields returns to action against Yoshihiro Akiyama, while Yushin Okami battled Tim Boetsch in a manly middleweight match up. For the latest UFC 144 news and notes be sure to check out our complete archive right here.

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The UFC continues to add Japanese fighters to the UFC 144 card scheduled for February 25th in the Saitama Super Arena. This time it's Riki Fukuda, who has apparently recovered from injuries suffered in a June car accident. He will face Steve Cantwell according to MMA Weekly. Sources close to the situation have informed MMAWeekly.com that verbal agreements are in place for Fukuda and Cantwell. Fukuda is a former DEEP middleweight champion that has also competed in EliteXC. His one UFC fight was a highway robbery, which saw him drop a unanimous decision to Nick Ring at UFC 127 in a bout he clearly won. He was scheduled to fight Rafael Natal at UFC 133, but badly damaged his knee in a car accident on June 16th and was forced to withdraw. He underwent successful surgery and has recently returned to training. Cantwell is one of the few UFC fighters that is given another chance despite losing four fights in a row. The former WEC light heavyweight champion dropped to middleweight for his last bout, but was bested by Mike Massenzio at UFC 136 last month. The bout is expected to take place on the preliminary card. The main event of UFC 144 will see Frankie Edgar defend his UFC lightweight title against Ben Henderson.

Posted in: ufc, frankie edgar, cantwell, fukuda, fight rafael

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After coming off a car accident back in June, middleweight Riki Fukuda looks to make his return to the Octagon against former WEC light heavyweight champion Steve Cantwell.

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