· “UFC On Versus 3” Preview: Sanchez, Kampmann Battle To Stay Relevant

Household names are made with fighters appearing on “The Ultimate Fighter” and free TV, and the two headliners at tonight’s “UFC on Versus 3” event in Louisville have both taken that path to welterweight contention, only to be knocked off right before securing a title shot.

The UFC makes its debut in the Bluegrass State at the KFC Yum! Center tonight, with the four-fight main card airing on Versus and two prelim fights streamed live on Facebook. Diego Sanchez (22-4, 11-4 UFC) and Martin Kampmann (17-4, 8-3) have both been pretty quiet outside of the cage leading up to this fight, as is the modus operandi for both.

Other than Sanchez declaring that he will no longer be called “Nightmare” and vowing to stay at welterweight for the time being, both fighters have stayed silent in favor of training to remain relevant in the UFC welterweight division.

Although he is coming off of an impressive win over Paulo Thiago at UFC 121, Sanchez had lost his two bouts prior and a third loss in four outings could set him back too far to ever fight for a title again.

Kampmann is actually a favorite coming into the fight despite losing in the UFC 121 co-main event to Jake Shields, and a win over Sanchez would be a big statement to make after his first loss as a welterweight.

Many fans and experts have had trouble picking a clear-cut winner in the bout, but it appears that Sanchez would prefer to get the fight to the ground while Kampmann would prefer to stand.

In the co-main event, two wrestlers who are very familiar with one another will battle for a spot near title contention. Mark Munoz (9-2, 4-2 UFC) and C.B. Dollaway (11-2, 5-2 UFC) are both highly touted in the middleweight division, and the winner of this fight could receive a big step up in competition.

Munoz figures to be the bigger fighter, while Dollaway will have the reach advantage in the fight along with a two-inch height advantage. Dollaway is known for his sneaky good submission game, and he is likely to stay active on his back to look for an arm or triangle with his longer limbs. Munoz is known for his power and grinding wrestling style, so keeping Dollaway at bay event in advantageous positions will be a key to the fight for him.

Middleweight prospect Chris Weidman (4-0) will also make his UFC debut on late notice to take on longtime UFC veteran Alessio Sakara (15-7, 6-4 UFC). Sakara hasn’t competed since he defeated James Irvin via TKO at the first "UFC on Versus" nearly a year ago. Many people are saying that Weidman has received a perfect matchup in his UFC debut, as he’ll be able to use his Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing to control the fight.

In the final main card bout, former WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles (8-1, 0-0 UFC) will return to action for the first time since losing the title a year ago as he takes on Damacio Page (15-5, 0-0 UFC). Page is also coming off of a loss, but he’ll look to use his well-rounded game and power to take out the former champion.