UFC Fight Night 25 Fight Card: Vagner Rocha's 5 Defining Moments

This Saturday, Vagner Rocha will return to the Octagon for his second appearance in the UFC. After losing to lightweight contender Donald Cerrone in his debut with the organization, Rocha is now scheduled to meet former TUF participant Cody McKenzie.

Filling in as a late replacement for Mac Danzig, Rocha was thrown to the wolves in his first fight in the world's premier MMA organization. After failing to capitalize on the huge opportunity against Cerrone, Rocha will now look to climb the 155-pound ladder the hard way.

With a win over McKenzie, Rocha will likely earn at least a couple more appearances in the UFC. For those who might not be familiar with Rocha's accomplishments prior to joining the UFC, here are the Brazilian grappler's five most impressive career moments.

5. Beating Igor Gracie at Bellator 11

In June 2009, Vagner Rocha made his Bellator debut against Igor Gracie, a member of MMA's most storied family. While the fight was only the third of Gracie's career, he was still well-respected for his accomplishments in the jiu-jitsu community.

A medalist at the 2008 Abu Dhabi No-Gi World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championships, Gracie earned his jiu-jitsu black belt from cousin Renzo Gracie. The son of Rolls Gracie, Igor Gracie is a brother to ONE FC's Gregor Gracie and former UFC heavyweight Rolles Gracie.

Despite his outstanding pedigree, Igor Gracie was defeated by Rocha in a fight that primarily turned into a grappling match. Although Igor Gracie now holds a somewhat unimpressive record of 3-2, a win over a member of the Gracie family is always considered a big accomplishment in the MMA world.

4. Making UFC Debut at UFC 131

When Mac Danzig was forced out of a UFC 131 bout with Donald Cerrone less than one month prior to the event, the UFC called on Vagner Rocha to fill in as a replacement.

Happy to be offered a chance to make his UFC debut, and being handed an excellent opportunity against an elite lightweight, Rocha agreed to take the fight.

Unfortunately for Rocha, things didn't quite go his way on fight night, as the Brazilian dropped a lopsided decision to Cerrone. Still, the fight provided Rocha will valuable experience to carry into his upcoming fight with Cody McKenzie.

Regardless of how Rocha's story with the UFC plays out, reaching the highest level of competition in MMA is something nobody will ever be able to take away from him.

3. Finishing Francisco Soares at Bellator 13

Almost one year after his win over Igor Gracie, Vagner Rocha was invited to return to Bellator for a fight with Francisco Soares. Heading into his second Bellator appearance, Rocha had already picked up two more wins since his bout with Gracie, which extended his undefeated record to 4-0.

While Rocha was a promising prospect at that point, he hadn't accomplished as much as Soares, who had already picked up victories over eventual IFL competitor Mark Miller and current Strikeforce standout Pat Healy.

Again, Rocha picked up a big win under the Bellator banner. In the second round, Rocha defended a leg lock attempt, before unloading a number of hammerfists on his opponent.

Rocha's fifth career win was enough to capture the interest of Strikeforce. Two months later, Rocha competed on a card headlined by Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum.

2. Placing Third at No-Gi World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championships

In April 2011, Vagner Rocha competed in the Abu Dhabi No-Gi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships. Competing in the black belt open division, Rocha finished in third place behind only Rodolfo Veiira and Rafael Mendes.

This was not the first time Rocha earned a third-place finish at the prestigious tournament, though. Rocha also earned the bronze medal at the competition in 2007.

Rocha was not able to use his jiu-jitsu in his UFC debut against Donald Cerrone. However, it could play a huge part in his upcoming fight with Cody McKenzie, who is most well-known for his guillotine submissions.

1. Defeating David Vieira in Copa America Tournament

In October 2007, Vagner Rocha met David Vieira in the Copa America Tournament. In addition to being undefeated in four MMA fights, Vieira is a former Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Champion and two-time World Jiu-Jitsu Champion.

In a hotly contested match, Rocha walked away with the victory. This win over Vieira likely stands as the most impressive accomplishment of Rocha's career in grappling or MMA.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com and LowKick.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.