UFC 130's Stars of the Undercard: 3 Fighters You Need to See

The main Pay-Per-View card of UFC 130 is loaded with potential: from Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago to Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson, from Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Hamill to Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story, UFC 130 looks to have something for everybody. But in a move that was only done once before (for UFC 129), the UFC will give fans access to every single preliminary fight of UFC 130.

That’s an additional five free fights, with three fights on Facebook and two on Spike TV. It’s like getting a second event for free, and even better, the UFC preliminaries have gone from good to great in a matter of months.No longer are these fights “just the prelims”, they’re exciting encounters featuring some increasingly big names.

At their best, the “Prelims LIVE” broadcasts give us an early look at some of the UFC’s biggest potential stars. Heading into UFC 130, these are the three fighters scheduled to compete in the prelims that you absolutely should not miss.

Renan Barão: 25-1, 6 (T)KOs, 12 Submissions

First up is Renan Barão, who looks to make his UFC debut at UFC 130. Barao spent most of his career fighting in his native Brazil, and made an immediate splash when he debuted in the WEC in 2010.

Entering the promotion on a thirteen-fight win-streak, Barão exited the blue cage after submitting back-to-back opponents, first in the second round and then in the very first round. To date, the only time Barão has ever lost a Mixed Martial Arts fight is when he debuted as a professional Mixed Martial Artist.

Michael McDonald: 12-1, 7 (T)KO's, 4 Submissions

Much like Renan Barão, Michael McDonald entered the WEC with a great record and a very good win-streak. McDonald’s first WEC fight would also be his last (the WEC was folded into the UFC soon afterward), but he certainly made an impression when he won by first-round submission.

Most recently, McDonald fought an excellent three-round all-out war of attrition against Edwin Figueroa, taking home a “Fight of the Night” award and giving fans a huge “sleeper hit”, possibly one of the biggest of the year.  And that decision victory was the first time in his entire career that Michael McDonald had ever been to a decision.

Demetrious Johnson: 9-1, 2 (T)KO's, 5 Submissions

And last but certainly not least we have Demetrious Johnson. Like the two other fighters on this list, “Mighty Mouse” is a former WEC fighter who looks to take his success inside the famed blue cage and translate it into a big run inside the Octagon. Johnson started his career a perfect 6-0 with six stoppages, five of which occurred in the first round of action.

Johnson recently looked very impressive at UFC 126 when he defeated former Japanese superstar Norifumi Yamamoto. Johnson spoiled “KID” Yamamoto’s debut with lightning-fast takedowns and precise, crisp striking. At UFC 130, Johnson faces former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres. It’s his toughest test to date, but if “Mighty Mouse” beats “Angel”, we’ll officially have ourselves the next can’t-miss Bantamweight that could be competing for the UFC Bantamweight Championship before the year is over.