Urijah Faber file photo: Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com
The top star in World Extreme Cagefighting is dropping to bantamweight after a bruising defeat in the main event of the promotion's first pay-per-view. Urijah Faber will face former 135-pound title challenger Takeya Mizugaki on Aug. 18 on a card set in Las Vegas, MMAWeekly.com reported. Divisional king Dominick Cruz is set to defend against Faber campmate Joseph Benavidez in the main event, potentially establishing a swift title shot for Faber if the stars align.
Faber had alluded in a recent interview to the WEC’s interest in his dropping weight. Speculation began that he may be matched with perhaps the second most recognizable WEC star, Miguel Torres, who is coming off a loss to Benavidez. Torres said he thinks both should rack up wins before they meet.
Faber was knocked from his perch as the top featherweight in the world after his loss to Jose Aldo on April 24 in a one-sided romp. Aldo, who at one point was also thought to be a candidate for bantamweight, has not yet been booked for his next title defense.