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UFC Fight Night 126 emanates from the Frank Rewin Center in Austin, Texas this Saturday night (Feb. 16, 2018) and features an exciting welterweight main event pitting former lightweight title challenger Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone against Yancy Medeiros.
While this card features a number of new faces to the octagon, it also packs a punch with notable fighters like Derrick Lewis, Sage Northcutt, James Vick and Thiago Alves competing on the card. Throughout the event, there are a number of key matchups which will play pivotal roles in their respective divisions along with a number of fighters looking to build their name on this FOX Sports card.
However, some fighters will be feeling the Texas heat for different reasons as they are in desperate need of a victory. Whether it's maintaining a spot on the roster or seizing an important opportunity this Saturday night, here's a look at five fighters who are on the proverbial UFC Fight Night 126 Hot Seat.
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#1 Donald Cerrone
It's hard to imagine fan favorite Cerrone is heading into his main event matchup against Yancy Medeiros this Saturday on a 3-fight skid. The 34-year-old went on an impressive run from 2013 to 2016, amassing a 12-1 record and picking up wins over the likes of Edson Barboza, Eddie Alvarez and Myles Jury. But since his TKO win over Matt Brown at UFC 206 in Dec. 2016, "Cowboy" hasn't tasted victory since. Dropping bouts against Jorge Masvidal, Robbie Lawler and most recently Darren Till, Cerrone now faces a fellow brawler who heads into this matchup on a three-fight win streak.
After a rough 0-2, NC start to his UFC career, Medeiros has looked exceptional in the octagon racking up a 6-2 record. Especially since moving up to the welterweight division in late 2016 where the Hawaiian has gone 3-0, finishing all of his opponents in the process
Cerrone has his work cut out for him against an opponent who boasts 12 of his 15-career wins by stoppage. It seems unlikely the UFC would hand Cerrone his pink slip should he suffer a career-high fourth-straight loss on Saturday. However, if he wants to remain relevant in the 170-pound division, an impressive victory against "The Kid" would certainly do that.
#2 Derrick Lewis
Lewis looks to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in his career when he faces off against Tybura in the evening's co-main event. "The Black Beast" looked like he was on the fast track to a heavyweight title shot, before a fourth-round knockout loss to Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 110 halted those aspirations. The 33-year-old looked to erase that loss against former champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 216 in October, however, an injury just hours before fight time forced him off the card.
Now Lewis faces another rising heavyweight in Marcin Tybura, who also had his three-fight win streak snapped in a unanimous decision setback against Fabricio Werdum at UFC Fight Night 121 in November. Through 19-career fights, Tybura has only been finished once and that was due to injury.
Lewis - a native of nearby Houston, Texas - has a tremendous opportunity to get back on the road to a title shot with an impressive win on Saturday night in his home state.
#3 Sage Northcutt
Despite coming off a win in his last fight, Northcutt will be feeling the pressure heading into his lightweight matchup against Thibault Gouti. The 21-year-old not only will be fighting in his home state of Texas, but he continuously looks to shake off the critics who suggest the Legacy FC standout isn't UFC ready. This stems from his poor showing in 2016 where he went 1-2 in the Octagon, suffering losses to Bryan Barberena and Mickey Gall in the welterweight division. It also comes from critics who believe the UFC has given him special treatment in both favorable opponents and desired fight placements on events.
Of all of Northcutt's four UFC victories, only one (Michel Quinones) is still on the UFC roster. The Lookin For A Fight competitor will be looking to make it back-to-back wins for the first time since Dec. 2015.
His opponent Gouti recently snapped a three-fight skid with an impressive TKO win over Andrew Holbrook at UFC Fight Night 115 in September. The 30-year-old has yet to see the judges scorecards in the UFC and hasn't gone to a decision since March 2014.
A win for Northcutt would put him back on track in the lightweight division, while another loss could put his roster spot at risk.
#4 Brian Camozzi
Camozzi will be searching for his first UFC win on Saturday when he faces Contender Series winner Geoff Neil, who will be making his promotional debut. Things haven't gone according to plan for the former RFA welterweight champion as he's suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Randy Brown and Chad Laprise.
Returning to competition for the first time since July 2017, the 26-year-old looks to find the form that saw him win five-straight fights before signing with the UFC in late 2016.
Neil has won six of his last seven fights coming into his octagon debut, including a first-round TKO victory over Chase Waldon at Dana White's Contender Series 3. The 27-year-old hasn't gone the distance in a fight since April 2014.
Camozzi - the brother of former UFC middleweight Chris Camozzi - desperately needs a win on Saturday if he wants to find himself a member of the UFC's welterweight roster on Monday.
#5 Josh Burkman
Burkman looks for his first win since Feb. 2016 when he faces Alex Morono in a welterweight affair. The 37-year-old has lost four-fights in a row (six of his last seven), including a TKO setback to Drew Dober at UFC 214 last July.
Burkman moves back up to the 170-pound division for the first time since Aug. 2016 and faces an opponent in Moreno who hasn't won a fight since Dec. 2016. The 27-year-old Moreno had an impressive 2-0 start in his UFC career, which capped off a seven-fight win streak. However, since then he's come off a No Contest against Nikko Price at UFC Fight Night 104 and a split decision loss to Keita Nakamura at UFC Fight Night 117 last September.
Make no mistake about it, "The People's Warrior" needs a win Saturday or he'll be released from the Las Vegas-based promotion.
