Invicta FC 6's Bec Hyatt: Fight with Mizuki Inoue hard to promote

If you read MMA websites and forums, you know who Invicta FC strawweight Bec Hyatt is.

Online, the native Aussie makes herself available to fans and media, and as a result, commands more attention than others with her level of experience. She’s a puckish presence on forums, and unflustered by the juvenile behavior exhibited by young male fans. She never shies away from a wisecrack.

Hyatt (5-2), though, admits that her upcoming fight has been a difficult undertaking when it comes to getting fans interested in watching. At Invicta FC 6, which takes place Saturday at Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Mo., she faces Japanese fighter Mizuki Inoue (5-1), who’s her polar opposite when it comes to promotion.

So if you haven’t seen Hyatt around as much on the web, that’s part of the reason why.

“This fight is really hard to hype up, because I’m fighting a young, 18-year-old Japanese girl that’s very respectful,” she told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “My last fight there was a lot of beef…I attacked her on social media and she attacked me back. There was a lot of hype for that fight.

“I think this one is harder to hype, but I’m doing my best on social media and just keep humble. I don’t want to be disrespectful.”

That’s to say, she’s not going to just go out and attack Inoue without cause. She might be sassy, but she won’t go creating a personal beef that has no basis in truth. And the way things look, the two just don’t have many reasons to dislike each other, apart from the fact that they stand in each other’s way of becoming world champion.

That might be enough, however.

“I think I’ll let my fists do the talking on Saturday night, I think,” Hyatt said. “I stay true to myself. If somebody pisses me off, I’ll have at them. But Mizuki’s been really respectful, so I’m going to be really humble and respectful and put on a good show on Saturday night.”

She did just that in her Invicta debut, where she faced the more experienced Carla Esparza on short notice for the promotion’s inaugural strawweight title and refused to quit despite being outgunned on the mat. She lost a decision, but was asked to return in the promotion’s next event, where she went toe-to-toe with Jasminka Cive on social media before submitting her in the first round.”

“I must be pleasing the bosses for them to bring me back, because it’s not cheap,” Hyatt said. “I’d probably go insane not fighting every couple months. I’d probably get pretty fat, as well.”

She estimates she’s a few fights from a rematch with Esparza, but a win over Inoue, who’s ranked No. 10 in the division, will put her on the right path.

“I’m definitely looking to take her ranking on the weekend,” Hyatt said. “I reckon they’ll probably have me fight a few more times and climb back up that ladder again.

“She’s a great grappler with a judo background. If you watch some of her fights, she’s always looking for the trips and throws and armbars. I think she is going to try to take it to the ground. A lot of girls say they’re going to stand with me until I land that right-straight on their face.

“I’ll be looking to shut her game down and just punch her in the face.”

Invicta FC 6, which features a rematch between Marloes Coenen and Cristiane Santos for the promotion’s inaugural featherweight title, airs live on pay-per-view.

For the latest on Invicta FC 6, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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