Eleven fights are now set for World Extreme Cagefighting’s return to Las Vegas, Nevada at WEC 52 on November 11th. The card, which is headlined by a bantamweight bout between former WEC Featherweight Champion “The California Kid” Urijah Faber and Takeya Mizugaki, features a number of the promotion’s top title contenders.
Once-beaten featherweights Josh “The Fluke” Grispi and Erik “New Breed” Koch will square off at 145, while Joseph Benavidez looks to rebound from a second loss to Dominick Cruz when he faces Wagnney Fabiano.
Faber (23-4-0) rose to the top of the featherweight ranks after winning 21 of his first 22 fights and he captured the WEC Featherweight Championship in the process. He quickly became the promotion’s posterboy and held onto the title until a November 2008 bout with Mike Brown at WEC 36. Faber was knocked out in the first round and was forced to battle back into title contention. He did so, but came up short in a second bout with Brown and lost a lopsided decision to reigning champ Jose Aldo at WEC 48 in April. Faber has not fought since then and suffered a knee injury in the summer that forced the bout with Mizugaki to be pushed back. Faber will now make his bantamweight debut at WEC 52.
Mizugaki (13-4-2), a Shooto and Cage Force veteran in Japan, made his WEC debut in an incredible five-round title fight with then-WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres at WEC 40. Though he was unable to capture the title, Mizugaki endeared himself to fans with a gritty performance that impressed many observers. He has since won two of three fights, with the lone blemish coming against upcoming title challenger Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen at WEC 45. Should he manage to spoil Faber’s debut as a bantamweight, Mizugaki could once again find himself in line for a title shot. Like Faber, Mizugaki will also compete for the first time since April when he takes on the popular former champion.
In other bouts with title contender implications, Grispi (14-1-0) will square off with Koch (10-1-0) for a chance to take a big step closer to the WEC Featherweight Championship, while former 135-pound title challenger Benavidez (12-2-0) will look to show that he still belongs among the elite in the division when he takes on the veteran Fabiano (14-2-0), who has won ten of his last eleven fights.
WEC 52 takes place on November 11th at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
WEC 52 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– “The California Kid” Urijah Faber vs Takeya Mizugaki
– Josh “The Fluke” Grispi vs Erik “New Breed” Koch
– Joseph Benavidez vs Wagnney Fabiano
– Chad “Money” Mendes vs Javier “Showtime” Vazquez
– “The Angel of Death” Damacio Page vs Eddie Wineland
– Raphael Assuncao vs LC Davis
– Anthony “The Assassin” Njokuani vs Edward “Falo” Faaloloto
– Zach Micklewright vs Dustin Poirier
– Michael “Mayday” McDonald vs Clint Godfrey
– Yves “Tiger” Jabouin vs Brandon “The Viper” Visher
– Cub Swanson vs Mackens “Mack da Menace” Semerzier
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)