UFC Fight Night 27's Takeya Mizugaki: I'm Erik Perez's measuring stick

INDIANAPOLIS – Takeya Mizugaki‘s game plan is simple: Defeat Erik Perez, earn the right to fight a top 10 bantamweight next, and then finally be taken seriously as a legit UFC contender.

With a recent split-decision victory Bryan Caraway, Mizugaki has the first back-to-back wins of his WEC-UFC career, and he looks to continue the success on Wednesday when he meets the surging Erik Perez at UFC Fight Night 27.

“I tried to win back-to-back (fights) ever since I signed with Zuffa, and I finally got it,” Mizugaki today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through a translator. “I’ll use this momentum, and I feel like I need to keep this momentum going. In terms of Perez, I’m not really worried about his skills. I’m just worried about my fight.”

Their bout is part of UFC Fight Night 27's main card, which airs on FOX Sports 1 from Indianapolis’ Bankers Life Fieldhouse. For Perez, who’s won eight straight overall and three consecutive (all via stoppage) in the UFC, many see this matchup as a potential showcase fight.

However, oddsmakers see it as a nearly dead-even affair, with Perez (13-4 MMA, 3-0 UFC) a slight favorite. And Mizugaki (17-7-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC)? He doesn’t think he’s anyone’s stepping stone. In fact, he believes the UFC wants to see if his heavily promoted opponent is the real deal.

“I know Erik is the (UFC’s) first Mexican fighter and he’s won three times in a row, so of course it makes sense for the UFC to push him,” he said. “But remember, I’ve been fighting for Zuffa for five years, and I’ve faced other top contenders. When I got a call about this fight, I felt like maybe the UFC is putting me against Perez to actually measure Perez’s real ability.”

After a short-notice title loss to then-WEC champ Miguel Torres in 2009, Mizugaki bounced between wins and losses over 10 consecutive bouts. But his Caraway win followed a victory over Jeff Hougland, and suddenly, the fighter is on a 3-1 run and inching himself toward consideration for a title shot.

A win over Perez could do big things for Mizugaki, who’s ranked just outside the top 15 and has an honorable-mention slot in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA bantamweight rankings. In the official UFC rankings, neither ranks among the top 10, which is a fact Mizugaki knows all too well.

However, that’s likely to change after Wednesday. Assuming Mizugaki doesn’t get “swallowed into [Perez's] momentum” and maintain his own, the 29-year-old could force UFC officials to see him in a new light.

“Both myself and Perez don’t have a top 10 UFC ranking,” he said. “I feel like I need to win this, and then in the next fight, I need to fight and beat a top 10 fighter to get into title contention.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 27, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.