UFC on FOX 3: What a Win Means for Rousimar Palhares

Tonight, on the main card of UFC on Fox 3, Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares will face off against Alan "The Talent" Belcher in a middleweight matchup. Palhares is 14-3 in his MMA career and is currently on a three-fight winning streak, with two finishes in that time. Palhares is pegged by many as a future title contender, and he has all the talent to one day be there.

There is just one big problem with Palhares: he does not have a signature win in his career.

Of his 17 professional fights, two of those came against fighters who are considered "top tier," those two being Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt.

Henderson earned a unanimous decision victory over Palhares at UFC 88, and Marquardt earned a first round TKO at UFC Fight Night 22, which was headlined by their fight.

Should Palhares earn a victory tonight, it will be his first win over a fighter who is considered to be in the upper echelon, as Alan Belcher is right on the precipice of the top-10 middleweight rankings.

If Palhares wins, and does so impressively, he will likely move into the top ten rankings, which is something his fans have been looking to see for a long time.

Not to mention, if Palhares wins, Belcher may have to take a trip to the doctor to have his leg looked at.

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter @TimMcTiernan.