The UFC will once again make a trip across the pond to Japan for UFC on FUEL TV 8.
The March 3 card features a light-heavyweight duel in the main event between former PRIDE star Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann.
The main card boasts a number of PRIDE veterans including Mark Hunt, who will face off against lanky Dutch striker Stefan Struve. The only PRIDE Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi will take on Diego Sanchez and Yushin Okami faces off against Hector Lombard.
As with all events, there are a number of fighters who could potentially lose their jobs if they don’t walk away with wins. Here’s MMASucka.com’s “The Hit List”.
Diego Sanchez
We haven’t seen Sanchez grace the Octagon since February of last year when he lost to Jake Ellenberger by unanimous decision. If he falls short to Takanori Gomi in Japan then we could very well see the UFC give “The Dream” his walking papers. He has not been an active fighter on the roster and has not found his groove in either the welterweight or lightweight divisions. Coming off of two losses will not do Sanchez any good in an organization with an excess of talent.
Mizuto Hirota
Hirota will make his UFC debut after losing his last bout to Pat Healy in controversial fashion at a Strikeforce event. Hirota came into Strikeforce on a two fight winning streak and as the DEEP lightweight champion, however losing his UFC debut could push him right out of the organization. Not only will Hirota be making his debut inside the Octagon, but will also be making his featherweight debut as well. We will see whether the weight cut and Octagon jitters make it a tough night for the Japan native.
Dong Hyun Kim
Kim may be coming off a win against Paulo Thiago at UFC on FUEL TV 6, but he lost an awkward one to Demian Maia just a few months prior. If he can not get past Siyar Bahadurzada on March 3, Korea’s most prominent MMA export could be packing his bags. The welterweight division is so deep that if he can’t pick up the “W” then he could get his pink slip.
Riki Fukuda
Fukuda hasn’t fought since his November win over Tom DeBlass, which followed a unanimous decision loss to Costa Philippou at UFC 148. His UFC career has been a roller-coaster of wins and losses to say the least, at 2-2. Even though Fukuda won his last fight, a loss to Brad Tavares could send the “Killer Bee” packing.
Takeya Mizugaki
Here is another Japanese based fighter who has been back and forth with wins and losses since making the move over to the UFC. Inconsistency has haunted Mizugaki since making the move to the WEC. As a top contender in the bantamweight division, Mizugaki never quite lived up to his potential. With a record of 3-2 coming into UFC on FUEL TV 8, a loss against Bryan Caraway might be his last trip to the Octagon.
