The big boys will take center stage this upcoming Memorial Day weekend with the UFC 146 main card featuring five heavyweight tussles, including a championship showdown pitting Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem as the headliner.
But the little guys will get their chance to shine on the night's preliminary card on May 26, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a featherweight fracas pitting Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda has been added to the event.
Per UFC.com:
"Pineda is developing as a serious contender as he will be looking for his third stoppage in the Octagon in only 5 months and riding an almost 2 year unbeaten streak," said UFC president Dana White. "This will be toughest test of his career, dealing with Brown's experience, power and submission prowess."
Brown dropped a pair of decisions in his first two appearances inside the Octagon but rebounded with a solid performance against Nam Phan, one that likely kept him gainfully employed. He's been out dealing with injuries ever since and his first fight back with the promotion won't be an easy one.
If you don't know Daniel Pineda, you better ask somebody. He's only been active in the game since 2007 but has already picked up 17 career victories, 11 of which came by way of submission.
That includes his only two UFC fights, as he choked out Pat Schilling at UFC on FX 1 and triangle armbarred Mackens Semerzier at UFC on FX 2.
Next step, a former division champion. Watch out for this one, Maniacs, he may be "in the mix" before you know it.
As mentioned previously, UFC 146 will be headlined by the biggest fight of the year (literally), when heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos puts his strap on the line for the very first time against division number one contender and famed Dutch striker Alistair Overeem. Also rounding out the all-heavyweight main card are super-sized match ups between Frank Mir vs. Cain Velasquez, Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva and Shane Del Rosario vs. Gabriel Gonzaga.
For the latest UFC 146 news and notes check out our complete event archive right here. To check out the latest "Dos Santos vs. Overeem" fight card and rumors click here.