At UFC 184, Ronda Rousey will look to keep her impressive women's bantamweight title run going against one of her most dangerous challengers to date, Cat Zingano.
With four straight title defenses, Rousey has already matched the great UFC reigns of Chuck Liddell, Frank Shamrock and Pat Miletich. Should she remain undefeated against Zingano, Rousey would draw even with the likes of Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes and Demetrious Johnson.
Undefeated in nine pro bouts, Zingano needed only two wins inside the Octagon to get this shot at Rousey. Zingano is a fighter with knockout power and solid grappling, and many experts consider her to be the biggest threat to Rousey at 135 pounds.
While Rousey and Zingano should have long UFC careers ahead, many big names could be battling for their roster spots this weekend. Heading into UFC 184, here are the individuals on the hot seat.
Josh Koscheck and Jake Ellenberger
They have been two of the bigger names in the welterweight division for some time, but Josh Koscheck and Jake Ellenberger both enter their UFC 184 bout with three straight losses.
A former title challenger, Koscheck might go down as one of the better welterweights to never win UFC gold. Without a win since February 2012, Koscheck's title chances are now almost non-existent, though. Instead, he'll be battling to put off his retirement this weekend.
Ellenberger has also shifted his short-term focus away from a championship. Like Koscheck, he has been finished in his past two outings and now sits on the chopping block.
With a fourth straight loss, Koscheck would likely retire instead of sign with a different MMA promotion. He's been competing inside the Octagon since his third official pro bout in April 2005.
While Ellenberger has been with the UFC for several years as well, he seems more likely to continue competing outside the world's top MMA promotion in the event of a loss. Given his name value, he would be a tough guy for the UFC to cut loose, even after four straight losses, but there's a good chance the organization would opt to do so depending on how bad he looks.
Mark Munoz
At 37 years old, Mark Munoz is running out of time to make one last run at a middleweight title shot.
Following opening-round stoppage losses in back-to-back appearances, Munoz likely needs a win at UFC 184 to keep his career going. A third straight loss at his age, especially in the event of a knockout, would probably lead to him calling it quits.
Matched up with UFC returnee Roan Carneiro, who went 2-3 in a previous stint with the promotion, Munoz has an excellent opportunity to rebound. Should he lose on Saturday, his title aspirations would disappear, and there wouldn't be much reason for him to continue putting his body in harm's way.
Norifumi Yamamoto and Roman Salazar
At one time, Norifumi Yamamoto was considered one of the better fighters in MMA. Now, he's meeting Roman Salazar in an apparent loser-leaves-town matchup.
With five losses in his past six outings, Yamamoto has fallen off the map quickly. The Japanese star hasn't won since a May 2010 bout under the Dream banner and is 0-3 inside the Octagon. It was exciting to see Yamamoto join the UFC roster in February 2011, but it doesn't look like he'll make much noise with the promotion even if he does pick up his first win inside the Octagon this weekend.
Now 37 years old, Yamamoto's best years are clearly behind him. Should he lose to an unproven opponent like Salazar, who owns an 0-1 UFC record, Yamamoto might decide to call it a career.
Salazar, meanwhile, isn't in a much better spot. After winning four in a row to earn a spot on the UFC roster, he lost to Mitch Gagnon via submission in his UFC debut. Yamamoto once might have been an impossible adversary for Salazar, but falling to 0-2 inside the Octagon against a fading fighter could cost Salazar his UFC roster spot in this situation.
Ruan Potts
Following knockout losses in his first two UFC outings, it is a bit surprising to see Ruan Potts getting another shot inside the Octagon. That shows how desperately the UFC brass wants to add depth to the heavyweight division, though.
That said, UFC matchmakers didn't do him any favors by booking him against Derrick Lewis. The Black Beast has posted a respectable 2-1 UFC record and has serious knockout power, so a third straight knockout loss for Potts would not be at all surprising.
While this matchup doesn't favor Potts, he still needs to win it. Not many fighters receive another UFC bout after starting out 0-3 with the promotion, and the company would be unlikely to make an exception for him should he lose to Lewis.
Valmir Lazaro
In August, Valmir Lazaro made his UFC debut with a loss to James Vick. With 11 consecutive wins coming into that bout, it was a disappointing start for the Brazilian.
Despite being 0-1, Lazaro meets James Krause, who is arguably a step up in competition from Vick. With wins over Jamie Varner and Sam Stout, Krause won't be an easy opponent for Lazaro to bounce back against.
Still, Lazaro needs to show the UFC brass something this weekend. If he falls flat and drops to 0-2, there's a good chance he'll have to head back to smaller Brazilian shows.
