UFC 183: Who’s on the Hot Seat? RJ Gardner February 12, 2015 Events, Previews, Spotlight As a fighter, making it to the UFC is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication…unless you are a WWE star, of course. But once they make it to the UFC, the hard work doesn’t stop; in fact things get more difficult for the fighters. The UFC by nature breeds a competitive atmosphere, but that atmosphere is amplified by the fact that fighters are given only a handful of opportunities to prove they belong. Lose your UFC debut and you are lucky to get a second chance. Lose back-to-back bouts and your back is against the wall. And fighters who lose three straight are almost always guaranteed their release from the organization. When UFC heads to the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, CO for UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch, three fighters will be fighting to stay in the UFC. James Moontasri A talented Black House lightweight, Moontasri is one of the many fighters to have made their way to the UFC through the RFA. But after losing his UFC debut to Joe Ellenberger, Moontasri finds himself in dire need of a victory. The UFC lightweight division is deep and talented and going 0-2 isn’t going to keep you in the big show. Tim Elliott The flyweight division isn’t the deepest division in the UFC, but fighters still have to win if they want to stay in the organization. Elliott is a talented young fighter, but he lost back-to-back bouts and he is just 2-3 in his five Octagon appearances. Losing on Saturday would make it three straight and he would likely be on the chopping block. Efrain Escudero Winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 8, Escudero’s UFC career has been rocky to say the least. After winning his season of TUF Escudero went 2-2 in the Octagon and was released from the promotion. Then after going 5-1 on the regional circuit Escudero was brought back. In his second stint with the promotion Escudero went 0-2 and was once again cut. After going on a 4-1 run Escudero was again asked back to the UFC. Escudero lost his first bout back and now he is in desperate need of a win because there won’t be another opportunity after this one.
