Miguel Torres vs Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 40 with Brian Bowles injured

Miguel Torres

MMAmania.com has learned that WEC bantamweight number one contender Brian Bowles has suffered an undisclosed injury in training and has been scratched from the main event of WEC 40, which is set to go down at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Ill., on Sunday, April 5.

The undefeated Hardcore Gym prospect was set to face Miguel Torres for the WEC 135-pound title in the featured fight on the card. Instead, world-ranked division competitor Takeya Mizugaki has been tapped to fill-in for Bowles on short notice.

Mizugaki (11-2-2) is currently on a five-fight win streak under the Greatest Common Multiple banner, which is a Japanese promotion. He’s also a 10-fight veteran of the Shooto promotion, which has also featured other top mixed martial artists such as Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Shinya Aoki, Anderson Silva, Tatsuya Kawajiri and others.

Torres — a Chicago native — is making his return to mixed martial arts action in his hometown. While it’s not necessarily the most envious position to be in — facing Torres in his homecoming — it’s still a rare shot at a world title for the 25-year-old Japanese standout.

WEC 40 will also feature former featherweight number on contender Jeff Curran against Joseph Benavidez — training partner of Urijah Faber — in the co-main event for the right to become the division’s number one contender.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this developing story.

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