UFC 137: Matt Mitrione Will Rise Up Heavyweight Ranks with Win over Cheick Kongo

A star will be born at UFC 137, and his name is Matt Mitrione.

Once dubbed "Meathead" by Rashad Evans, Mitrione (5-0, 5-0 UFC) is an up-and-comer in the heavyweight division and gets a solid, if not passable, test against Cheick Kongo (16-6-2, 9-4-1 UFC).

This bout smacks of stepping stone. Mitrione has only five career fights under his belt, but has won each one, demonstrating a promising standup game with quick hands and strong legs, along with an ever-improving ground repertoire.

Kongo, on the other hand, has been around long enough that you pretty much know what you're going to get—powerful punching, solid kickboxing, so-so wrestling and slow feet.

In other words, "The Darkness" serves as the ideal measuring stick of Meathead's potential and fitness to climb the ranks in the UFC heavyweight division.

As a former NFL football player for the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, Mitrione is bigger, stronger and more athletic than the older, more experienced Kongo.

Both fighters will look to keep the action on their feet, though the difference may come to down to who, if either, is able to take advantage of the other's weakness on the mat.

Make no mistake about it—Kongo will give Mitrione all he can handle. Kongo has demonstrated the ability to pull dramatic finishes out of thin air, as he did in knocking out Pat Barry at UFC Live in Pittsburgh in June.

That being said, Kongo isn't likely to have that sort of luck against a fighter with as tough a chin as Mitrione. This fight is all about the future for Mitrione as well as the heavyweight division as a whole.

A win for Mitrione will nudge him ever closer to the upper echelon of his weight class while bringing new blood to the bunch of brawlers looking to unseat Cain Velasquez from his throne.

All told, look for Mitrione to survive a big shot from Kongo here and there and counter with a strong display of boxing of his own to come away with a unanimous decision.