UFC on Fuel 3: Who's on the Hot Seat?

The UFC on Fuel comes live on Tuesday from Fairfax, Va. The bout will be headlined by a featherweight contenders' bout between Chan Sung Jung and Dustin Poirier. 

The card possesses a number of fighters who have to be feeling the heat going into their respective bouts. They are either on losing streaks or have lost enough to be in danger of being cut.

Who is on the hot seat? Let's take a look.

Alex Soto

Alex Soto fights coming off his first full training camp for the UFC. At 6-1-1, Soto is a decent prospect, but a loss to late replacement Francisco Rivera could lead to termination from the company.

He lost his first UFC fight on short notice against surging contender Michael McDonald. He obviously did not get a full training camp, but the Team Hurricane Awesome product was knocked out in under a minute by McDonald.

The well-rounded Soto has something to prove here, and should he lose, it could be back to the minor leagues. It doesn't mean he can't work his way back, but he will be better off financially to win and stay in the UFC.

Jeff Curran

Jeff Curran is a legend of the lighter weight classes of the sport, but he is definitely in the hot seat coming into his fight with Johnny Eduardo. 

Curran doesn't have the best record in the WEC and UFC. He is 2-6 in these two companies, although he has fought top guys such as Scott Jorgensen, Takeya Mizugaki, Joseph Benavidez, Mike Brown and Urijah Faber. 

The jiu-jitsu ace is getting up there in age, and this is probably his last shot in the big show. A win here would be great for his legacy as a pioneer in the lower weight classes, but a loss would likely kill all hope of big-show dreams.

Johnny Eduardo

Like Jeff Curran, Johnny Eduardo is a long-time veteran of the sport, competing since 1996. Similarly to Curran, this could be his last shot at the big time, as he's been in the game for an extensive amount of time.

Eduardo dropped his UFC debut to Raphael Assuncao by decision. Of his nine losses, seven have come by decision, which may play into Curran's game plan.

Eduardo is feeling the heat, but will he deliver?

Kamal Shalorus

One more loss in the UFC and Kamal Shalorus will be searching for new employment.

Kamal Shalorus is lucky to have his job to begin with. In my eyes, he is on a four-fight skid, but in reality it is only a two-fight losing streak.

He drew against Jamie Varner in a fight that he lost on my scorecard. He then beat Bart Palaszewski by split decision, another fight which he lost on my scorecard. 

That brings us to the UFC. He has dropped both fights by finish, losing by knockout to Jim Miller and submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Another loss here and Shalorus will be gone. 

Dong Yi Yang

Dong Yi Yang's only saving grace if he loses Tuesday is that the UFC is trying to expand into Asia, and he of course is South Korean.

Yang is 1-2 in the UFC thus far, dropping decisions to Chris Camozzi and Court McGee, while beating UFC exile Rob Kimmons. Yang is physically a beast, but he needs a win here to stay relevant.

He faces his third Ultimate Fighter castmate when he faces off with Brad Tavares, and hopefully, it's a charm. If not, Yang could be on the outside looking in.

Cody McKenzie

Cody McKenzie is a crowd favorite, but if he loses this next fight, not even the fans can save him. 

McKenzie earned his way into the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter, where he made the semifinals of the show. He then won at the finale via his trademark guillotine over Aaron Wilkinson to stay employed.

Unfortunately, he has dropped two straight via submission (rear-naked choke) to Yves Edwards and Vagner Rocha. He faces a tough wrestler in Marcus LeVesseur, which could play into his guillotine ways.

Jason MacDonald

Jason MacDonald wants to end his career in Calgary at UFC 149, but if he doesn't win here, he may need to find another organization to retire in.

This is MacDonald's second stint with the UFC, and so far he is already 1-2. One of his losses came to injury, which could save his job should he lose. Even if he does lose, it would be two in a row, and thus possibly get him cut.

MacDonald is a great submission fighter and a great role model in the sport, so hopefully he stays employed should he lose.

Tom Lawlor

Tom Lawlor may be the most entertaining MMA fighter in the UFC, but a loss here could send him packing. 

Lawlor has dropped three of his last four, including being on the wrong end of a D'arce choke by Chris Weidman, which put him to sleep. Lawlor is a good wrestler with solid submission skills who has notably beaten Patrick Cote, CB Dollaway and Kyle Kingsbury.

Lawlor is a favorite of Dana White, but a loss here wouldn't be good for job security. He needs a win to get back on track, or else he could be ousted from the UFC.