In the cathedral that is Saitama Super Arena in Japan, UFC Fight Night 75 goes down this weekend.
Given that Josh Barnett and Roy Nelson are doing battle to close out the evening, it's understandable that fans may be putting a "heavy" emphasis on the main event, if you understand what I mean.
But the drama goes beyond those two legendary heavyweight fighting curiosities. Some fighters may have their jobs on the line when they stroll into Japan. Who are those fighters? Well, why don't we take a look?
Takeya Mizugaki
Mizugaki is no Roy Nelson.
Three losses in a row is the usual threshold for UFC release, but there are exceptions (i.e., Nelson, who would hit that dreaded mark with a defeat this weekend but would probably keep his job anyway given his rampant popularity).
However, Mizugaki (20-9-2) would not appear to be a prime candidate for such an exception, even after putting together an impressive win streak at bantamweight, which he has now followed with consecutive losses to Dominick Cruz and Aljamain Sterling. A loss to George Roop might result in a pink slip.
Mizuto Hirota
Hirota's seat may be the hottest of all. The respected Japanese veteran featherweight got the call from the UFC in 2013, but he lost his only two bouts in the Octagon and was released.
He has rebounded well, taking three straight in other promotions. Now Hirota (17-7-1) gets another chance in front of his countrymen. One would think, though, that he's on a short leash, and will need to take advantage of this opportunity to avoid a quick exit.
Teruto Ishihara
A fighter usually doesn't get cut after one fight, especially when he's a 24-year-old prospect from a country where the UFC needs as many footholds as it can get, and he has a fun style and a 7-2 record (with six wins by knockout).
Still, if Ishihara (7-2-1) performs badly against the aforementioned Hirota, he's probably expendable. He's a local bit of talent, but he's also not unique. So let's call his seat warm, at a minimum.
Naoyuki Kotani
The heat is most definitely on for Kotani. Like Hirota and a few other Japanese competitors on the card such as Katsunori Kikuno, Kotani (33-12-7) is a well-known veteran of Asian MMA circuits. And like many of his compatriots, he has not been able to translate his success outside the UFC to success inside the UFC.
That's right: He has dropped two straight, his only two in the UFC. What's more, he's the underdog going into his lightweight tilt with Kajan Johnson. He's facing tough odds and will need to deliver, or else he's done. This one is cut-and-dried.
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