Brock Lesnar and the 25 UFC Fighters Who Need to Impress in Their Next Fight

Mixed martial arts is a glorious but unforgiving business. Fighters practically sacrifice their lives to make it to the UFC and even then things only get tougher. A fighter who is a UFC hero one day can turn into a bum who got lucky the next day should he lose.

At this point in the year, there are several fighters who find themselves in a difficult situation; should they not impress in their next fight (either by simply losing the fight or by winning in a boring fashion) they will lose their jobs, their reputations, or both!

Who are these unfortunate fighters? Read and find out!

Constantinos Philippou

Constantinos Philippou was a 7-1 prospect before entering the UFC. He was long touted as a serious contender at middleweight and the fact that the Cyprus native also trained (and continues to train with) the famed Serra-Longo fight team didn't hurt.

Unfortunately, Philippou has failed to impress since earning his big break. He lost to Joseph Henle in The Ultimate Fighter season 11's elimination round and then lost to Nick Catone via unanimous decision at UFC 128 (although this fight was on extremely short notice).

If Philippou doesn't impress in his next fight, it's back to Ring of Combat, and Long Island MMA will suffer another defeat.

Mike Brown

Fate, after initially being kind to former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown, decided to change it up and deliver a metaphorical liver kick to the Maine native.

His rise started when he defeated Urijah Faber to earn the WEC featherweight championship and successfully defended the belt twice before losing it to Jose Aldo.

But then began his descent. Brown went 2-3 since then and is winless in the UFC.

He will be coming off back-to-back losses when he meets Nam Phan at UFC 133. Few fighters in the UFC have survived dropping three straight; Brown needs to impress if he is to keep his job.

Jorge Rivera

Jorge Rivera is set to meet Alessio Sakara at UFC 133.

Even though Rivera is only coming off of one loss to "top competition" in Michael Bisping, failing to impress (meaning failing to win) would still likely derail Rivera's career due to his age; Rivera is 39 years old, not an ideal age for MMA—unless you are Randy Couture.

Rivera's record is also spotty at best, with his best wins coming over names who couldn't cut it in the UFC such as Travis Lutter and Kendall Grove.

Alessio Sakara

The Italian striker has had a rocky road in the UFC; he's had some success over mid- to lower-level competition but just has never been able to put it together.

Sakara is also coming off a loss, but his fate may not be too bad since he is European and the UFC still needs stars to market there.

Nevertheless, the UFC has been more trigger-happy lately when letting fighters go; Sakara can't afford a loss!

Even if he didn't lose his job from losing, failing to impress would solidify Sakara's reputation has a gatekeeper and its unlikely it could ever recover.

Yoshihiro Akiyama

Japanese judo star Yoshihiro Akiyama was one of the UFC's most anticipated acquisitions when he finally signed with the UFC in 2009.

Like many stars from Japan, he didn't live up to the hype. The fighter who went 12-1 (2 NC) in Asia was apparently absent in the UFC; Akiyama only went 1-2 in there thus far and his only win was a very controversial split decision to mid-card fighter Alan Belcher.

Akiyama is on a two-fight losing streak and has been given his toughest opponent to date at UFC 133: Vitor Belfort.

A loss will almost definitely signal the end of Akiyama's UFC career and perhaps even his career as a fighter; Akiyama may not have too many fights left at 35 years of age—especially if he wants to keep his face intact and retain his "Sexyama" moniker.

Rashad Evans

After being away from the Octagon for over a year due to his desire to preserve his title shot (and then an injury), former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans desperately needs to impress the fans.

While his job isn't in danger since he has won two straight, his reputation is. If he loses, wins but coasts to a decision or fight poorly, then the fickle MMA fans (which is practically all of them) will turn on Evans and proclaim that he is nothing but a glorified can.

Leonard Garcia

Even though Leonard Garcia is a fan favorite because of his fighting style, he still needs to impress against Alex Caceres at UFC on Versus 5.

Garcia is 1-2 in his last three (although one of those wins was a very controversial win against Nam Phan) and has proven each fight that he is largely a one-dimensional brawler.

He needs to show the MMA world that he is something more than that, or else he will go down in history as a featherweight Tank Abbott (except with more skill and conditioning)!

Alex Caceres

Simply put, Alex Caceres (a.k.a. Bruce Leeroy) is 4-3 and is coming off a loss.

If he loses at UFC on Versus 5 to Leonard Garcia, he will be gone; the UFC doesn't make a habit of keeping .500 fighters around.

C.B. Dollaway

If C.B. Dollaway loses to Jared Hamman at UFC on Versus 5, he likely won't be fired but he'll go down in the books as another way overrated fighter from The Ultimate Fighter.

If he wins unconvincingly, he'll be labeled as much of the same or as a boring, one-dimensional wrestler.

Therefore, it is imperative for C.B. Dollaway to impress come Aug. 14.

Jared Hamman

If Jared Hamman loses he will be on a two-fight losing streak, and his continued employment with the UFC cannot be guaranteed; he is in a must-win situation against C.B. Dollaway.

Jim Miller

Jim Miller's appearance on this list may be controversial since, after all, he is on a seven fight win streak. Despite his success, Miller is somehow not a name known by casual fans.

Therefore, he needs to win big over Ben Henderson at UFC on Versus 5. Victory will (hopefully) give him the recognition he deserves.

Defeat will sent him back down to the bottom of the rankings; fans will only know him as "that guy who lost to the guy who got kicked by Anthony Pettis."

Dan Hardy

It's hard to believe that Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy was once considered skilled enough for a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, since Hardy has been winless after losing to the French Canadian.

Dan Hardy severely needs a (convincing) win against Chris Lytle in their main event bout at UFC on Versus 5. If he loses, he would have dropped four straight and may well be given walking papers!

Hardy needs to smash Lytle to prove that he is still a force at welterweight and that British fighters aren't all just a bunch of one-dimensional cans who are over-promoted.

Paulo Thiago

After he knocked out Josh Koscheck, many thought that the sky was the limit for Brazilian Paulo Thiago. However, Thiago has gone only 2-3 since then and has lost two straight.

Thiago is coming off of a long layoff as well and needs to impress not only to save his job, but also to refresh MMA fans as to who he is.

Mike Swick

Mike Swick, aside from being on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, is perhaps the only prominent member of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) stable that doesn't have a strong wrestling background.

Unfortunately for Swick, neither of these accolades will help him keep his job if he loses to Erick Silva at UFC 134.

Swick is on a two fight losing streak and hasn't fought in over a year. An impressive victory is crucial for the 32-year-old Swick; it'll help him inch back into the limelight while avoiding the unemployment line.

Luiz Cane

Luiz Cane was a highly touted prospect when he burst onto the UFC scene in 2007 but has only gone 3-3 in the organization (although one of those losses was by disqualification).

Even though Cane was victorious in his last outing, putting on an impressive performance is necessary if Cane wants to regain his lost luster and reestablish himself as a contender at light heavyweight.

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira

Former Pride and UFC champion Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira has fallen from grace as of late. He is 1-2 in his past three and both of those losses have been by vicious knockouts.

At 35 years old, it is possible that Nogueira has exhausted all of his abilities and can no longer contend with the next generation.

If Nogueira is to dispel this notion and restore his feared reputation, he must dominate up-and-comer Brendan Schaub at UFC 134; defeat will only tarnish Nogueira's name further.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

The story of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is one of the most legendary in mixed martial arts. But this famed career will seem like it is unraveling if Rua does not decisively beat Forrest Griffin at UFC 134.

Rua is 3-3 in his past six and is coming off of a humiliating loss to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Rua has to win in order to hush the talk of him being washed up as well as to get himself back "into the mix" for title contention.

Forrest Griffin

Forrest Griffin is actually on a two-fight winning streak, but this doesn't mean that he can afford to lose or win unconvincingly since his last two victories were over older opponents considered past their primes (Rich Franklin and Tito Ortiz).

Griffin put the streak together after his loss to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, a loss from which his image hasn't recovered.

Thus, Griffin needs to dominate a legend in Rua in order to secure his own legacy and wipe the loss to Anderson Silva from MMA's memory.

Jake Shields

There was a massive amount of hype behind former Strikeforce welterweight champion Jake Shields when he finally arrived in the UFC; he didn't live up to it.

He looked gassed and sloppy in a decision win against Martin Kampmann and was ineffective in his title shot against Georges St-Pierre (save for damaging St-Pierre's eye).

Shields needs to impress in order to convince the fans that he is a real contender and deserves to be ranked in the uppermost echelon in the UFC welterweight division.

If he loses, he'll just be considered another overrated fighter.

Alan Belcher

Alan Belcher has been away from the fight game since May 2010. If he is to reclaim his place as an up-and-coming/established middleweight, he simply must destroy Jason MacDonald at UFC Fight Night 25.

If not, many fans will turn on him and say that the layoff and the problems with his retina robbed him of a successful career. But at 27 years of age, there will still be time for Belcher.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Since his brief departure from the MMA world into Hollywood, many have questioned Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's devotion and drive; the question asked by many is: "is he only in it for the paycheck?"

Rampage can answer that question with a strong performance against Jon Jones at UFC 135.

Even if Rampage loses, a good performance will show MMA fans that Rampage Jackson is back in the sport and hasn't given up fighting for acting.

Diego Sanchez

Diego Sanchez, despite having won two straight, needs an impressive victory over Matt Hughes at UFC 135.

Why? Many thought that Sanchez was wrongly awarded the decision in his fight with Martin Kampmann.

Defeating Hughes in spectacular fashion is the only way that Sanchez can get the bad taste out of everyone's mouths.

Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto

Years ago, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto had an almost mythical status amongst MMA fans. Unfortunately for the Japanese standout, that reputation has all but evaporated.

Yamamoto is 1-3 in his last four and is 0-1 in the UFC. He needs a victory to help restore his reputation as an elite fighter as well as restore the image of Japanese MMA.

If Yamamoto loses, he will join many Japanese fighters who were way overrated and couldn't cut it in the UFC.

Brock Lesnar

It's unlikely that there has been a UFC heavyweight as marketed and hyped up as Brock Lesnar was.

Lesnar has been a figure of controversy throughout his UFC career so far, but many think that his embarrassing loss to Cain Velasquez showed him for what he really was: a one-dimensional fighter fighting clearly from the '90s era where just wrestling skill was enough.

Lesnar had to pull out of his fight with Junior Dos Santos due to another round of diverticulitis. When Lesnar will return and who he will face is unknown. All that can be said for sure is that if Lesnar is to silence the haters, he must win his next fight in very impressive fashion.

Georges St-Pierre

Since regaining the UFC welterweight title from Matt Serra, many believe that Georges St-Pierre has become a "fight not to lose" fighter; meaning that he doesn't seek to take risks and finish but rather to play it safe and coast to a decision.

Whether this notion is true, it is beginning to blemish St-Pierre's legacy since so many fans are criticizing him for his fighting style.

There is only one thing that St-Pierre can do to regain the widespread love and support of MMA fans: Destroy Nick Diaz at UFC 137.

If St-Pierre loses, his reputation will suffer, if he wins but its a "boring" decision his reputation may even suffer more than if he lost.

Finishing Diaz is the only way for a St-Pierre who has found himself becoming increasingly disliked for the lack of finishes in his fights.

Matt Saccaro is a Bleacher Report featured columnist and an avid MMA fan. For articles like the one above and for brilliant 140-character insights into MMA, follow him on twitter @mattsaccaro