Denair-native mixed martial artist Jeff Hougland will fight in China today, as part of the UFC’s first ever event to occur in the Far East country.
Hougland (10-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will look to defeat Japanese mixed martial artist Takeya Mizugaki (15-7-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in a bout rescheduled from UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson. UFC 151 was to occur on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas, but became the first UFC event ever cancelled after Light Heavyweight Challenger Dan Henderson suffered an injury in training, and Champion Jon Jones declined to face Chael Sonnen, a former middleweight contender, on short notice.
Instead, Hougland will take part in the first ever UFC on Chinese soil, held at the CotaiArena in Cotai Strip, Macau. The Hougland vs. Mizugaki matchup will open the Main Card, and will be the first fight broadcast on TV.
Hougland lost his most recent fight via unanimous decision, on May 15, to UFC veteran Yves Jabouin (18-8 MMA, 3-2 UFC). Mizugaki is also looking to rebound, having lost to Chris Caraiso (14-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at UFC 144 on Feb. 26.
UFC on FUEL TV 6 will be broadcast live on the FUEL TV network nationwide. Matches will begin at 6 a.m. today, due to differences in time zones. The event will be rebroadcast at 4 p.m., and again at 10 p.m.
UFC on FUEL TV 6 will be headlined by a contest between former middleweight champion Rich Franklin (29-6 MMA, 14-5 UFC) and Cung Le (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, International Kickboxing Federation champion, Sanshou champion, and movie star.