UFC 152 Fight Card: Can Vinny Magalhaes Make Waves in His UFC Return?

Vinny Magalhães is not a name that many casual fans are familiar with. You may have heard it before, but you don't really know much about the guy.

He was a finalist on season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter, and he lost to Ryan Bader by first round TKO. In his next UFC fight, he lost a unanimous decision to Eliot Marshall and was let go from the organization.

Since that time, he has gone 7-1 with seven finishes and the lone loss being a decision. He is currently on a five fight winning streak with two TKO's and three submissions. One of those submissions was a mounted gogoplata neck crank.

That just sounds awesome.

Now, Magalhães is set to return to the UFC, and his first fight back will be against Igor Pokrajac. Pokrajac is 25-8 and is on a three fight winning streak with two finishes.

Magalhães has clearly improved since his time in the UFC, and will surely be looking to make a statement in his return fight.

You can bet that a rematch with Ryan Bader is on his mind, and should he beat Pokrajac, that fight could make a lot of sense.

It would give a sense of where Magalhães stands in the division, and if Bader has lost something in recent years.

With a second degree black belt in BJJ and an ever improving stand-up game, Magalhães can be a threat to anyone in the light heavyweight division.

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter @TimMcTiernan.