UFC 149: Who's on the Hot Seat?

UFC 149 is right around the corner, and with it comes the crowning of a new interim bantamweight champion. In that bout will be former WEC champ Urijah Faber taking on surging Brazilian Renan Barao.

There will also be a number of fighters who may be competing for their jobs, like there are on any cards. These men need to win their fights or they have the possibility of getting cut by the UFC.

Let's take a look at which fighters are on the hot seat at UFC 149.

Mitch Clarke

Mitch Clarke made his UFC debut during the UFC's last trip to Canada at UFC 140, but should he lose Saturday, it may be his last UFC bout.

Clarke dropped his debut by knockout to John Cholish, a bout which showed promise and an aggressive style. Clarke is an intriguing prospect, but a win is necessary to continue national exposure through the company.

Anton Kuivanen

Once a promising European prospect from Finland, Anton Kuivanen is in a must-win situation Saturday.

His debut saw him lose a competitive bout to Justin Salas at UFC on Fuel. Kuivanen has an aggressive submission style with decent striking.

His bout with Mitch Clarke is win or go home. We will see who will remain employed at the end of the night.

Antonio Carvalho

Antonio Carvalho gained a ton of hype from his non-UFC win over Hatsu Hioki, but even that may not be able to save his job should he lose Saturday.

Carvalho dropped his UFC debut to Felipe Arantes at UFC 142, but showed great promise in that fight. He has average striking that allows him to incorporate his savvy grappling.

He now has to fight a rising prospect in Daniel Pineda, which could make or break his UFC tenure.

Nick Ring

At 2-1 in the UFC, Nick Ring's spot on this list may seem questionable. But, let's take time to look over his tenure.

He won his UFC debut in an extremely controversial decision victory over Riki Fukuda. A vast majority felt that Fukuda won the fight, but ultimately Ring walked away with the win.

Although he cleanly defeated James Head, he lost his latest bout to Tim Boetsch. So, one could say that Ring is actually 1-2 and on a one-fight skid.

Should he lose to an old nemesis in Court McGee, Ring could be unemployed. Ring needs to win here to erase any doubt.