The UFC Fighter Who Is in a "Must Win" Situation in Each Weight Division

When a fighter enters the sport of mixed martial arts, they have a dream of one day becoming recognized as "great."

And, over the course of their careers, these fighters dedicate their lives to the sport they greatly love in order to reach this goal.

However, while many set out to reach this goal, not every fighter will obtain it.

In fact, many fighters in the UFC have fallen away from their dreams, as they are currently in a "must win" situation with their careers on the line.

So, the following slides display the UFC fighter who is in a "must win" situation in each weight division.

Let's take a look.

Bantamweight: Norifumi

Norifumi Yamamoto entered the sport of mixed martial arts in March of 2001 as he posted an impressive 17-1 (1) record to start off his career.

However, Yamamoto's career would take a turn for the worse, as he would lose two of three fights before joining forces with the UFC in February of 2011.

Yamamoto has lost both of his fights since entering the UFC and has lost four of his last five bouts.

Featherweight: Jason Young

Jason Young's mixed martial arts career has been filled with peaks and valleys since entering the sport in August of 2006.

Young has never been on a longer winning streak than three fights, and he's never captured a legitimate win over the course of his career.

To make matters worse, Young has lost both of his fights since joining the UFC and is in dire need of a win in his next bout.

Lightweight: Takanori Gomi

Takanori Gomi will always be recognized as one of the greatest Pride fighters to have ever stepped foot inside the ring.

But, Gomi's past success hasn't transferred over to the Octagon, as he is in serious danger of losing his job.

Since joining the UFC in March of 2010, Gomi has lost three of his four fights, as his only victory came over a mediocre Tyson Griffin at UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko.

Gomi will certainly have to bring it in his next appearance if he wants to remain in the UFC.

Welterweight: Dan Hardy

At one point in his career, Dan Hardy was considered to be one of the best welterweight fighters in the world.

But tides have quickly turned, as Hardy has not only fallen from the ranks, but has lost four consecutive fights.

While Hardy has lost to legitimate opponents in his recent bouts, he hasn't been close to living up to the UFC's expectations.

Another loss could be the end of the road for "The Outlaw."

Middleweight: Cung Le

While it's usually rare for a fighter to be in danger of losing his job after just one fight, Cung Le is an exception.

And, it's not necessarily Le's talent that's the problem, but the amount of money he's being paid.

In his recent knockout defeat to Wanderlei Silva at UFC 139, Le took home an event high $350,000.

While Le certainly won't be making that the next time around, he'll need to be at the top of his game in order to convince UFC President Dana White to keep him around.

Light Heavyweight: Tito Ortiz

Tito Ortiz is one of the most popular names in the history of mixed martial arts.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion has defeated some of the greatest fighters of all-time over the course of his career such as Evan Tanner, Vitor Belfort and Forrest Griffin.

However, things have quickly changed for Ortiz, as he's won just one of his last seven bouts.

A loss to Antonio Nogueira at UFC 140 could be all she wrote for Ortiz.

Heavyweight: Pat Barry

While Pat Barry is certainly one of the more liked fighters in the UFC today, he certainly hasn't lived up to the organization's expectations.

In fact, Barry has posted a record of just 6-4, losing four of his last six bouts.

If Barry would to lose in his next outing, it would be his third consecutive defeat.

The hard hitting heavyweight is in a "must win" situation.