At UFC Fight Night 58, Lyoto Machida will look to rebound from a loss to middleweight champion Chris Weidman by beating C.B. Dollaway.
Wins over Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi earned Machida that shot in July. Although The Dragon failed to reclaim UFC gold, he was more competitive with the current 185-pound champion than anybody else has been inside the Octagon.
In May 2012, Dollaway was likely competing for his spot on the UFC roster against Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Now, The Doberman has won four of his past five and is ranked among the Top 10 fighters in the middleweight division.
Currently, Machida and Dollaway have about as much job security as one can in MMA. However, several fighters on the UFC Fight Night 58 card could be battling for their jobs on Saturday.
Here are the individuals sitting on the hot seat heading into the event in Barueri, Brazil.
Mike Rhodes
Despite an 0-2 start inside the Octagon, Mike Rhodes has been given another opportunity to compete under the UFC banner. Even more interestingly, the winless UFC competitor has been matched up with standout Brazilian Erick Silva.
The bout is one in which Rhodes will be a sizable underdog, so it’s unlikely the UFC would expect him to win. For that reason, Rhodes could very easily fall to 0-3 and still be retained by the world’s top MMA promotion.
All that said, Rhodes will have to fulfill his obligations to be given another pass. Should Rhodes make weight and remain somewhat competitive with Silva, he should survive to see another UFC outing, but he definitely can’t afford to cause any problems at Friday’s weigh-ins.
Daniel Sarafian
A finalist on TUF Brazil before being pulled from the competition due to injury, Daniel Sarafian looked to have a bright future ahead. However, he’s posted a disappointing 1-3 record inside the Octagon.
Originally expected to meet veteran Dan Miller on Saturday, Sarafian may have been given the benefit of the doubt with a loss in that matchup. However, due to Miller withdrawing, he’s now set to clash with UFC newcomer Antonio dos Santos.
Losing three straight alone would put Sarafian‘s UFC career in jeopardy. Doing so against a debuting opponent would almost guarantee his return to regional shows, though.
Igor Pokrajac
Honestly, considering we hadn’t heard much from him since his latest outing in November 2013, I had forgotten Igor Pokrajac was still on the UFC roster.
Opposite Marcos Rogerio de Lima, Pokrajac may indeed be looking at his last chance to remain on the UFC roster this weekend. The Duke has lost three in a row and had a fourth loss against Joey Beltran overturned when The Mexicutioner failed his drug test.
Although he won his UFC debut in May, TUF Brazil 3 contestant de Lima is still largely unproven. So, this matchup gives Pokrajac a good opportunity to get back on track. Being 35 years old, though, there will be a lot of pressure on him, because it’s unlikely he’d have time to earn his way back to the Octagon should he lose and be subsequently released.
Tom Niinimaki
With a win over grappling ace Rani Yahya in his UFC debut, Tom Niinimaki seemed like a fighter with huge potential.
The 145-pound Finnish fighter has been underwhelming since then, though.
In back-to-back appearances, Niinimaki has been submitted in the opening round. Should he fall for a third time in a row opposite UFC newcomer Renato Moicano, Niinimaki might need to take a step backward and gain some more experience with smaller promotions.
Hacran Dias
It seems forever ago that Hacran Dias bust into the UFC with a win over now-bantamweight contender Iuri Alcantara.
Since that win, Dias has gone 0-2 inside the Octagon. Those losses did come against stiff competition, but Dias will eventually need to get back into the win column in order to remain with the world’s top MMA organization.
Facing No. 13-ranked Darren Elkins at UFC Fight Night 38, Dias isn’t going to find it easy to rebound this weekend. Considering the level of opposition, Dias would probably remain with the UFC should he lose a third straight bout on Saturday, but he will need to make weight and be a model citizen.
Marcio Alexandre
In May, Marcio Alexandre met Warlley Alves in the TUF Brazil 3 finals.
With a submission loss in that outing, Alexandre failed to earn a guaranteed UFC contract. So, he must now face the pressure of earning job security outside TUF competition.
Tim Means isn’t a fighter many would want to fight with the UFC roster spot on the line, but it looks like that is the position Alexandre has ended up in.
Vitor Miranda
Like Alexandre, Vitor Miranda fell short in the TUF Brazil 3 finals back in May.
Miranda lost to Antonio Carlos Jr. in his UFC debut. Now, he is likely in a must-win situation heading into a bout with UFC newcomer Jake Collier on Saturday.
At 35 years old, Miranda isn’t a prototypical TUF prospect. He needs to turn things around in a hurry or reaching the finals on TUF Brazil 3 will probably end up being the highlight of his MMA career.
That’s not a bad thing. Many prospects would likely love to reach that point, but I’m sure Miranda has his sights set higher.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com