UFC 137 Fight Card: What a Win Would Mean for Matt Mitrione

Tonight, Matt Mitrione will take his first step into the spotlight.

The former NFL player is set to take part in the co-main event of the evening, a heavyweight bout against UFC veteran Cheick Kongo.

All of Mitrione's professional fights have taken place inside the UFC, and so far he has put together an impressive 5-0 unbeaten streak.

However, Kongo is a much more dangerous fighter than any of Mitrione's previous opponents.

Known for his vicious power and technical kickboxing, Kongo is arguably the division's third-best striker and has a decent wrestling game to go along with it. He is considered by many to be a top 10 fighter within the UFC's heavyweight division.

This will be Mitrione's toughest fight yet, but if he can pull it off, a win will be huge for him.

A victory tonight for Mitrione means that he's a real threat to the heavyweight division.

Up until this point, Mitrione has been fun to watch and looked impressive in the cage, but the fighters he has defeated have been B-level at best.

A win tonight would show Dana White and Joe Silva that Matt Mitrione is ready to compete with the best in his weight class and likely guarantee him a big-name opponent in his next fight.

This is actually a great fight for Mitrione in that the payoff is huge if he wins, and a loss would only be a minor setback.

Mitrione is going into this fight with nothing to lose and the world to gain.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what's happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.