Why Francisco Rivera is a silver-lining opponent for UFC 173’s Takeya Mizugaki

When T.J. Dillashaw was granted the opportunity to fight Renan Barao for the UFC bantamweight championship in the UFC 173 headliner, Takeya Mizugaki lost a major opportunity and was understandably dejected.

After a four-fight winning streak against opponents ranked outside the top 10, Mizugaki had high hopes of breaking into the title mix of the 135-pound weight class when he signed to fight Dillashaw on the Memorial Day weekend fight card.

However, when UFC 173 lost its originally planned main event between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida, Dillashaw moved up to face Barao, and Mizugaki was left without an opponent.

At first, Mizugaki (19-7-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) was let down by switch in opposition, but when UFC matchmakers presented him with a bout against rising contender Francisco Rivera (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in Dillashaw’s place, Mizugaki said all his excitement came rushing back.

“I was disappointed that I couldn’t fight Dillashaw for a couple days,” Mizugaki told MMAjunkie Radio through an interpreter. “But by the next week when I heard I was fighting Rivera, I was very highly motivated. It just took me a while to readjust.”

While Rivera is a respectable talent, his name doesn’t carry the same significance in the bantamweight division as Dillashaw’s. That said, Rivera’s strike-first fighting style arguably makes for a more compelling matchup.

Mizugaki agrees, and with “Cisco” scoring knockout finishes in his past two UFC appearances, the 30-year-old is thrilled to clash with a fighter who is going to try and floor him from the opening bell.

“We match very well in fighting style,” Mizugaki said. “I am excited and have very good motivation for this fight.”

Fighting out of his home country of Japan, Mizugaki had to travel a long way to reach Las Vegas for Saturday’s bout with Rivera, which airs on the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Competing in the U.S. is somewhat rare for Mizugaki in recent years; four of his past five UFC bouts have taken place in China, Japan or Australia.

The adjustment to prepare for a fight in a North America time zone is no easy feat. But Mizugaki is confident that with nearly five years of experience fighting for an American-based promotion, he can nullify that potential advantage for his opponent.

“I’ve been fighting under the Zuffa banner for a long time, dating back to the WEC days,” he said. “I’m very used to adjusting to this kind of environment.”

For the latest on UFC 173, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.