Bleacher Report’s Ed Kapp:
After dropping two straight bouts, Joey Beltran, a self-proclaimed realist, realizes that his upcoming match at UFC 131 has major implications on the future of his career in the UFC.
Despite losing his first professional match in February 2007, Beltran would go on to win 10 out of his next 12 fights—including a win over Houston Alexander in early 2010 — en route to being invited to compete at UFC 109 against Rolles Gracie.
After finishing Gracie in the second round of their match, Beltran notched a unanimous decision victory win over Tim Hague at UFC 113 in Montreal.
In his third contest in the UFC, Beltran took to the Octagon to take on Matt Mitrione. In a match that was awarded Fight of the Night honors, Beltran, after three rounds of action, would go on to fall short against Mitrione—dropping a unanimous-decision loss to the man they call “Meathead.”