Jason Reinhardt (top) needs to show he belongs in the UFC. | Photo: J. Sherwood
Bantamweights
Jason Reinhardt (20-2, 0-2 UFC) vs. Edwin Figueroa (7-1, 0-1 UFC)
Having faced a level of competition that is plain atrocious, it was no surprise that Reinhardt was dominated and sent packing by Joe Lauzon in his first appearance at UFC 78. He then put together two wins against a pair of foes with a combined record of 2-16. When the UFC resigned Reinhardt and matched him against Tiequan Zhang after a three-year hiatus, the only deduction one could make for bringing him back was that the UFC needed to build Zhang for its eventual expansion into Asia. Prior to facing Reinhardt and submitting him in 48 seconds at UFC 127, Zhang had faltered in dropping a decision to the unheralded but tough-as-leather Daniel Downes.
Figueroa is fresh off a rousing battle against elite prospect Michael McDonald at UFC Fight Night 24, where he traded on the feet and battled everywhere in the cage in an exciting bout. He showed a strong chin and fortitude aplenty.
The Pick: Reinhardt drops in weight again and could well become a bully-type at 135 pounds. However, he has shown nothing thus far that would suggest he belongs in the UFC; Figueroa by second-round knockout.
Jason Probst can be reached at Jason@jasonprobst.com or twitter.com/jasonprobst.