Another member of the vaunted Team Alpha Male group from Sacramento, Benavidez has only lost twice in his career, both times to current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
He boasts wins over former champ Miguel Torres and grappling standouts Rani Yahya and Wagnney Fabiano, and will look to make his UFC debut a successful one as he takes on Ian Loveland.
Though I’m still a Rubber Ducky Belt, I’m working hard every day and hope to achieve my Plaid Belt by the time UFC 128 rolls around next weekend.
Rafael Assuncao (16-3-0)
Think of Assuncao as the Martin Kampmann of the UFC featherweight division; a perennial top 10 contender who hasn’t fought for championship gold, but remains a tough-as-nail talent capable of beating anyone on any given night.
He entered the WEC with a 12-1 record, his lone loss coming to talented veteran Jeff “Big Frog” Curran, and won his first two bouts before losing consecutive contests to Faber and current contender Diego Nunes; Nunes will welcome Kenny Florian to the 145-pound division at UFC 131 in June.
Assuncao bounced back with a unanimous decision win over LC Davis at WEC 52, and the BJJ black belt will look to make it two in a row next weekend. Outside of the cage, he runs a gym in Atlanta, Georgia with his brothers Junior and Freddy, both of whom are professional fighters.
Erik Koch
Erik Koch (11-1-0)
The man Assuncao will face in his UFC debut is Koch, a fast-rising featherweight prospect out of the Duke Roufus camp in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he trains with the likes of Pat Barry and Anthony Pettis.
Just 22 years old, Koch was set to make his UFC debut on last week’s Versus event, but his bout with Cub Swanson was pulled from the card at the last minute after Swanson suffered an injury. When Manny Gamburyan withdrew from his fight with Assuncao a couple of days later, the two were paired together and should put on a tremendous show in New Jersey.
Koch has an impressive array of skills, showing slick jiu-jitsu in his first round submission win over Bendy Casimir, and dangerous striking in his last bout, a Knockout of the Night-winning performance against Francisco Rivera at WEC 52.
His lone loss came to current #1 contender Chad Mendes.
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UFC 128: Meet The WEC Newcomers