The card lost Erick Silva vs. Rick Story because of visa issues, but UFC Fight Night 70 will still feature some contenders this weekend.
Middleweight standouts Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero will headline the event. While Machida has some work to do to get back into the title-shot conversation because of his recent submission loss to Luke Rockhold, Romero is nearing the front of the line for a shot at the 185-pound belt.
Romero has gone undefeated in five UFC outings. Most recently, the Cuban stopped Tim Kennedy in the third round of a memorable contest. Beating a former UFC champion like Machida might be what Romero needs to complete his argument for a title shot.
With so many competitors removed from this card due to the same visa issues that Silva had, there aren't too many individuals in must-win situations this weekend. Only nine bouts are set to be contested. These days, almost all UFC events reach double digits in fights.
Nonetheless, a couple of competitors head into UFC Fight Night 70 in poor position. Here are the individuals on the hot seat prior to this weekend's card in Florida.
Eddie Gordon
Since winning The Ultimate Fighter 19 with a knockout against Dhiego Lima, Eddie Gordon has not looked like a fighter who will maintain a UFC roster spot long-term.
Five months after his victory over Lima, Gordon suffered a brutal knockout from Josh Samman. Then, in April, Gordon fell short on the scorecards after a sloppy affair with Chris Dempsey. Now, Truck will look to avoid dropping three in a row against fellow TUF winner Antonio Carlos Jr.
#UFCFlorida fight card: @ACjr_Sapato vs @TruckMMA_UFC fight preview. Who ya' got? #UFC http://t.co/wSg9CRqm53 http://pic.twitter.com/TJWaSOCOtP
— MMA mania (@mmamania) June 23, 2015
Losing three in a row almost always results in a fighter being released. It would be surprising if that wasn't the case in this situation, considering Carlos Jr. is also looking for his first UFC win outside TUF competition.
Danny Martinez
With some excellent experience as a WEC veteran, Danny Martinez was an interesting addition to the UFC 125-pound division in 2014.
Following two trips to the Octagon, though, he is still looking for his first UFC victory. While he faced some tough competition, Martinez came up short in decisions against Chris Cariaso and Scott Jorgensen.
It has been more than a year since his loss to Jorgensen, and he'll now return as a bantamweight against UFC newcomer Sirwan Kakai. Although Kakai is a decent prospect, Martinez cannot afford to lose to an opponent who has never set foot inside the Octagon.
Danny Martinez vs. Sirwan Kakai Completes #UFCFightNight ‘Machida vs. Romero’ Lineup http://t.co/J3sSXejVnY http://pic.twitter.com/ttyBAkaiGd
— Sherdog.com (@sherdogdotcom) June 23, 2015
Dropping his UFC record to 0-3 in this matchup would all but ensure Martinez will have to return to a smaller show for his next outing.
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