WEC’s Urijah Faber Moves To Bantamweight To Face Takeya Mizugaki

The WEC’s biggest star, Urijah Faber, has moved divisions following his one sided loss to 145 champion Jose Aldo. Faber will make the cut to 135 pounds to be a part of the bantamweight division. From MMA Weekly:

The former WEC featherweight champion will make the move down to 135lbs for his next fight on August 18 as he faces Japanese fighter Takeya Mizugaki in the WEC.
The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight stating bout agreements have been issued at this point for the bantamweight showdown.
After a successful run at featherweight that including a long title reign, Urijah Faber (23-4) ran into a tough contest in his last fight, facing current 145lb king Jose Aldo at the first ever WEC pay-per-view. Faber lost a unanimous decision to the Brazilian champion, and afterwards speculation began immediately about a move down in weight for the “California Kid.”

Mizugaki is no easy fight, but it is winnable for Faber. The real issue will be how the cut affects Faber. Will he be sluggish? Will he be stronger and a heavier hitter at the lower weight?

Assuming his skills translate to 135 it isn’t too difficult to see Faber being able to get to the title level. However, with recent news that Faber’s teammate Joseph Benavidez will face Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title it could be a case where Faber is considered the best fighter in the division but won’t fight his teammate in an effort to win the title.