Friday’s Bellator 197 fight card features some familiar names along with some names fans could get more accustomed to hearing in the future.

In the main event, two of the more recognizable names on the Bellator roster meet in a bout that could determine who gets the next shot at lightweight champion Brent Primus. In that matchup, former two-time Bellator champion Michael Chandler faces Brandon Girtz, a man Chandler recently described to MMAjunkie as “probably one of the toughest guys in the lightweight division.”

In the co-headliner, unbeaten A.J. McKee puts his perfect record on the line against the more experienced Justin Lawrence.

Also on the main card, Kevin Ferguson Jr. (“Baby Slice”) faces Devon Brock while undefeated Logan Storley matches up against Joaquin Buckley.

Bellator 197 takes place at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., near St. Louis. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie.

1. Set the sights

In June, Chandler lost his lightweight title to Primus when a freak injury to Chandler’s left leg prevented him from putting any weight on the limb. Chandler, who is an honorable mention in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, was supposed to get his shot at regaining the title at Bellator 197, but an injury knocked Primus from the bout. Instead, Chandler (17-4 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) now faces Girtz (15-7 MMA, 7-5 BMMA).

Chandler recently said that his goal is to put Girtz away and then turn his focus back to Primus.

“As soon as I get my hand raised, and I beat Brandon Girtz, and it sets in that Primus ran again, I’m going to set my sights on him again and see when I might be able to fight him, but I’m not going to chase him,” Chandler told MMAjunkie Radio. “If anything, he needs me more than I need him, and I think he’ll be stripped of the title or relinquish the title before I end up fighting him.”

This matchup is an enormous opportunity for Girtz, who ended a three-fight losing skid with a first-round TKO win over Luka Jelcic in December. It was his first victory since November 2015. Girtz has a history of struggling when he faces tougher opponents, but he has the opportunity to change that conversation with a win over Chandler.

2. This could be the one

Fans have been waiting for a matchup like this for some time. No offense to the previous 10 fighters whom McKee (10-0 MMA, 10-0 BMMA) defeated, but none of them had top-level fighting experience. Lawrence (11-4 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), though, has that type of experience. A competitor on Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Lawrence captured the RFA featherweight crown after his three-fight UFC run concluded. The 27-year-old signed with Bellator in 2015 and has gone 4-2 with the promotion. He, without a doubt, represents the toughest test of McKee’s career.

With his submission win at Bellator 187, McKee broke the Bellator record for the longest winning streak in promotional history. He’ll try to extend that streak to 11 against Lawrence.

This matchup could be McKee’s opportunity to break into the upper echelon of the division. If he scores an impressive victory, it should be his ticket to a fight a top-tier featherweight talent. McKee has been itching for his chance to get into the mix, and if he gets a win over Lawrence, it’ll be hard to deny him that opportunity.

3. Pressure rising

Bellator continues its plan of bringing Ferguson (2-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) along slowly. Like his previous two matchups, Ferguson again faces a 1-0 fighter. The difference with this opponent, Brock (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), is that his one win came against a member of the famed Gracie family. Brock (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) defeated Royce Gracie’s son Khonry at Bellator 192.

Brock might have only one pro fight to his name, but he ran up a 5-0 amateur record before he defeated Gracie in January. Those six fights all took place in a brief amount of time. In fact, Brock is still in his first year of competition.

Ferguson lost his pro debut, but he has since gone 2-0 with two stoppage victories. His most recent win was a submission victory over Fred Freeman at Bellator 187. This welterweight fight got the nod for a main-card slot over established lightweight competitor Derek Anderson, so it’s a safe bet that Bellator wants its investment in Ferguson to pay off. The pressure is on him to deliver.

4. Under the radar

When Storley signed with Bellator in June 2017 the news got some play, but his deal didn’t receive nearly the amount of press the signings of the “Fab Five” of Aaron Pico, Ed Ruth, Tyrell Fortune, Jarod Trice and Joey Davis received.

A four-time Division I All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota, Storley had four top-six finishes in the NCAA wrestling tournament. His best finish was third in 2014. In 2012 he placed sixth after Ruth defeated him by technical fall in the semifinal round (Ruth finished first that year).

Storley (7-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) faces Buckley (8-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) in this welterweight matchup. Storley has been working out in Florida with the likes of Henri Hooft, Robbie Lawler and Luke Rockhold, and he is developing into a well-rounded fighter. His Bellator 186 win over Matt Secor was the first time in his career that he went the distance.

With Ruth looking to drop to welterweight, Bellator has a grudge match in the making between the two high-level wrestlers with a history. If Storley can get by Buckley, who is coming off a split-decision win over Vinicius de Jesus at Bellator 185, the opportunity might be there for Storley to call his shot.

5. A possible threat

Team Nogueira’s Juliana Velasquez looked excellent in her Bellator debut. In December the flyweight extended her unbeaten streak to six with a submission victory over Na Liang at Bellator 189. The win was her first via submission.

Her time with Team Nogueira has paid off. Velasquez (6-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has looked good in all facets of her game and looks like she could be a threat in the 125-pound division. The 31-year-old Brazilian faces Rebecca Ruth at Bellator 197. If you recall, it was Ruth (6-2 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) who slowed the hype train of Lena Ovchynnikova at Bellator 150. Ruth won that fight in her home state of Missouri by unanimous decision. In her first fight in nearly two years, the 39-year-old gets another chance to play spoiler in front of a local crowd.

If Velasquez gets by Ruth, don’t be surprised to see her in a high-profile bout in the still-developing flyweight division.

For more on Bellator 197, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.