At UFC Fight Night 69, Joanna Jedrzejczyk will become the first champion to attempt to defend her belt on UFC Fight Pass.
The move shows how far the strawweight division has to go. However, it also shows that the UFC has confidence in Jedrzejczyk’s ability to headline a card, albeit one that isn’t receiving much attention.
It took Jedrzejczyk only two UFC wins two earn her title shot against Carla Esparza. The Polish standout made the most of that chance, becoming the first European champion since Andrei Arlovski and the first fighter to ever bring a UFC belt back to Poland.
Challenging Jedrzejczyk at UFC Fight Night 69 will be Jessica Penne, who lost to Esparza in The Ultimate Fighter 20 semifinals. Penne had been booked to meet Juliana Lima in May, but she was eventually pulled from that matchup to serve as Jedrzejczyk’s first challenger.
Obviously, Jedrzejczyk and Penne have long UFC careers ahead, as they will both play key roles in the growth of the 115-pound division. However, some other UFC Fight Night 69 competitors are not in great positions and could be competing for their jobs this weekend.
Here are the individuals sitting on the hot seat heading into the next UFC event on the calendar.
Alan Omer
In April 2014, Alan Omer made his UFC debut against Jim Alers and was beaten in a split decision.
Omer hasn’t returned to the Octagon in the 14 months that have since passed. The 26-year-old had been set for a sophomore showing in January, but he was pulled from a scheduled UFC on Fox 14 contest with Mirsad Bektic due to injury.
First booked to meet Mike Wilkinson on Saturday, Omer will now welcome Arnold Allen to the Octagon. While Allen has the potential to be a solid 145-pound prospect, Omer can’t afford to fall to 0-2 against an opponent with no experience at the UFC level.
Should he lose, Omer would likely have to return to regional European shows.
Scott Askham and Antonio dos Santos
Making his UFC debut in October, Scott Askham was beaten by Magnus Cedenblad in a decision. Two months later, Antonio dos Santos made his first trip to the Octagon and was stopped by Daniel Sarafian.
With an 0-2 start regularly leading to a fighter being released from the UFC roster, this matchup has “win or go home” written all over it.
Since Askham is 27 years old and Dos Santos is 26 years old, there would still be time for either to earn their way back to the big show. However, both are entering their prime and won’t want to be wasting any time on smaller shows in the coming years.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com