This weekend, the UFC will travel to Australia and Brazil for events on Friday and Saturday.
For better or worse, multi-event weekends have become regular to MMA onlookers. While neither upcoming card would be classified as stacked, there are some intriguing bouts to be seen, and I suppose it’s better than no fights at all.
While UFC Fight Night 55 will be headlined by middleweight contenders Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping, UFC Fight Night 56 shall feature a light heavyweight contest between ranked 205-pounders Mauricio Rua and Ovince Saint Preux.
No headliners are in immediate danger of losing their UFC roster spots. But 22 fighters will step into the Octagon this weekend, and some could be battling for their careers with the promotion. Here are the fighters sitting on hot seats heading into UFC Fight Night 55 and UFC Fight Night 56.
Juliana Lima
In July, Juliana Lima made her UFC debut opposite Joanna Jedrzejczyk and fell short on the scorecards.
On Saturday, Lima will appear on the UFC Fight Night 56 main card in a bout with UFC newcomer Nina Ansaroff. In order to avoid a second straight loss, Lima will need to take advantage of competing in her home country, Brazil, and use what little UFC experience she has against the American.
With the women’s bantamweight division still developing, Lima could get a pass should she fall to 0-2 this weekend. However, starting a UFC career with two losses usually results in a fighter being released, so Lima can’t take that pass for granted.
Guto Inocente
Returning from a 26-month hiatus, Strikeforce veteran Guto Inocente made his UFC debut in July as well.
Competing in the heavyweight division, Inocente was unable to deal with the onslaught Derrick Lewis brought at him. The Brazilian was knocked out in less than four minutes, which convinced him to return to 205 pounds, where he will meet Anthony Perosh on Friday.
It may be a desperation move in weight classes, but Inocente really is better suited to compete in the light heavyweight class. With one UFC loss already on his record, though, Inocente may only have one opportunity to prove that inside the Octagon.
Dhiego Lima
A favorite heading into The Ultimate Fighter 19 finals, Dhiego Lima suffered a surprising knockout loss to Eddie Gordon. While the loss prevented Lima from becoming a TUF winner, it wouldn’t be his last chance to pick up a UFC win.
On Saturday, Lima will meet Jorge de Oliveira. A UFC newcomer, de Oliveira is certainly beatable for Lima, but that makes it all the more necessary that the TUF 19 runner-up gets his hand raised.
Should Lima fall to 0-2 inside the Octagon following a bout with an opponent like de Oliveira, who took this matchup on short notice due to a Pawel Pawlak injury, he could be sent back to smaller shows.
Charlie Brenneman and Leandro Silva
It took Charlie Brenneman four straight wins to earn his way back to the big show, but he hasn’t been able to deliver inside the Octagon in his latest stint with the world’s top MMA promotion.
The Spaniard was submitted by Beneil Dariush in his return and more recently suffered a knockout loss to Danny Castillo. An 0-2 run with the UFC would normally result in one being released, but Brenneman is being given another opportunity to compete inside the Octagon on Saturday.
Standing across the cage from Brenneman will be Leandro Silva. In September, Silva made his own UFC return and lost to Francisco Trinaldo. Although Brenneman was given a third opportunity, Silva might not be so lucky should he fall short again this weekend.
Tim Gorman
Following an appearance on TUF 18, Tim Gorman was welcomed to the UFC by Mitch Gagnon.
An underrated bantamweight, Gagnon handed Gorman a debut loss. Because he was handed such a tough test right away, Gorman has been booked to make a second UFC appearance.
On Saturday, Gorman will welcome Thomas Almeida to the Octagon. It’s a matchup that gives Gorman a good chance to pick up a UFC win, but a loss to the Brazilian could result in his release from the promotion.
Sam Alvey
In August, Sam Alvey made his UFC debut opposite Tom Watson. The TUF 16 contestant held his own, but he ultimately came up short on the scorecards.
At 28 years old, Alvey remains a promising middleweight, but he’ll need to turn things around quickly. He will have a chance to do so when he meets Dylan Andrews on Friday.
Beating Andrews would put Alvey in great position to make a run up the 185-pound ladder. However, a bad loss to Andrews could lead to Alvey being released.
Chris Clements
Considering his UFC record could very well be 0-3, Chris Clements needs to show something on Friday to prove he belongs on the UFC roster.
In his UFC debut, Clements edged out Keith Wisniewski in a split decision. The Canadian then had a loss overturned due to marijuana being found in Matt Riddle’s system before suffering a knockout loss to Stephen Thompson.
Facing an unproven Vik Grujic in Australia, Clements needs a decisive win in order to earn some job security with the world’s top MMA promotion.
Marcus Brimage and Jumabieke Tuerxun
Starting out his UFC career with three wins, Marcus Brimage appeared to be on his way toward big things in the bantamweight division. However, Brimage has since suffered two straight losses against Conor McGregor and Russell Doane.
Tuerxun has had much less success inside the Octagon. The Chinese competitor is 0-2 since joining the UFC roster and probably would have been cut were he not representing a country the UFC is looking to grow in right now.
While Tuerxun is already running low on chances, Brimage could also be in trouble heading into Friday’s card. A third consecutive loss for either man would almost certainly lead to his being released.
Wagner Silva
In May, Wagner Silva was submitted by Ricardo Abreu in his UFC debut.
With only three bouts under his belt before joining the UFC roster, Silva might lack the experience needed to find success at the highest level. Things won’t be getting easier for the Brazilian either.
On Saturday, Silva will meet bright prospect Colby Covington, who submitted Wang Anying in his UFC debut a few months ago. It might not be fair to expect Silva to pick up a win in this matchup, but the 27-year-old might have to chalk this UFC stint up as a learning experience and earn his way back through smaller organizations.
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