UFC 145: Who's on the Hot Seat

UFC 145 is right around the corner, coming your way Saturday from Atlanta. The card is headlined by a championship fight between rivals Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.

There are 11 other bouts on the card, with many fighters on the hot seat. There are a number of guys feeling the pressure to get a victory this weekend.

Let's take a look at who is on the hot seat.

Keith Wisniewski

The welterweight division is very top heavy right now, which is a bad thing for fighters in need of a win. Keith Wisniewski is one of those fighters who needs a win.

Wisniewski made his return to the UFC after a six-year absence, but was handed a doctor stoppage defeat at the hands of Josh Neer. 

He will need a win Saturday against newcomer Chris Clements, or he will probably be out of a job.

Efrain Escudero

Efrain Escudero earned his way back into the Octagon in his latest outing, after being cut in 2010. Unfortunately, Escudero was defeated by Jacob Volkmann.

The lightweight division is loaded and ones job is never safe. Should Escudero lose again, he could be on his way out of the promotion.

Mac Danzig

Like his opponent, Efrain Escudero, Mac Danzig is definitely on the hot seat. A loss here could send Danzig packing from the UFC.

Danzig, a winner of The Ultimate Fighter, has a less-than-impressive 4-5 record in the UFC. Should he be 4-6 at the conclusion of Saturday night, he could be unemployed.  

Eddie Yagin

Already 0-1 with the UFC, Eddie Yagin finds himself in the hot seat right now. Should he lose again Saturday night, Yagin will probably be given his pink slip.

Yagin was easily defeated by Junior Assuncao in his UFC debut. Now, with his back against the wall, he takes on former title challenger Mark Hominick. A win would be huge and help propel him in the featherweight division. A loss would be devastating.

Mark Hominick

How the mighty have fallen. Not long ago, Mark Hominick was challenging for a championship. Now, he may be fighting for his job.

Hominick's rebound from his title defeat was an extremely quick knockout loss to Chan Sung Jung. Hominick has to be feeling the heat, as he can go from one of the top names in the division to forgotten. 

Ben Rothwell

Ben Rothwell is coming off a very underwhelming fight against Mark Hunt in his latest bout. Before that, he was on the shelf for an extended period of time with a knee injury.

Should Rothwell lose, especially in unimpressive fashion, he could be given the ax. Rothwell needs to perform well come this weekend.