UFC 125 rings in the New Year with a lightweight title match between champion Frankie Edgar and undefeated challenger Gray Maynard.
The card also features four fighters making their UFC debuts, including three WEC standouts. Meet them in this edition of Fresh Faces.
Name: Josh Grispi
Weight class: Featherweight
Fighting: Dustin Poirier
Record: 14-1 (6 (T)KOs, 7 submissions) for the WEC and various U.S. promotions
Recent body of work: Submitted LC Davis by first-round guillotine choke at "WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus" in June
Who he is: Grispi enters his UFC debut riding a 10-fight winning streak, including eight straight first-round finishes and a 4-0 mark in the WEC. Originally, Grispi was scheduled to face Erik Koch at WEC 52, but the UFC decided to grant Grispi a shot at the newly-crowned UFC featherweight champion, Jose Aldo instead. After Aldo was forced to withdraw from the bout with a back injury, Poirier became Grispi's new opponent.
Name: Dustin Poirier
Weight class: Featherweight
Fighting: Josh Grispi
Record: 8-1 (5 (T)KOs, 3 submissions) for the WEC and various promotions in the United States and Canada
Recent body of work: Defeated Zach Micklewright by TKO in just 0:53 at "WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki" in November
Who he is: Poirier will step in to face Grispi after Grispi's original opponent, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, was forced to withdraw due to an injury. A Louisiana native, Poirier rebounded from his first career loss -- a decision to Danny Castillo -- with a 53-second TKO win over Micklewright in November, and will drop from lightweight to featherweight for the first time in his career.
Name: Diego Nunes
Weight class: Featherweight
Fighting: Mike Brown
Record: 15-1 (5 (T)KOs, 6 submissions) for the WEC and various Brazilian promotions
Recent body of work: Defeated Tyler Toner by unanimous decision at "WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan" in September
Who he is: Hailing from Brazil, Nunes entered the WEC having finished all 11 of his professional fights. After suffering his first career loss to LC Davis, Nunes rebounded with back-to-back victories in 2010 to run his WEC record to 4-1. Since entering the WEC, all five of Nunes' fights have gone to decision.
Name: Antonio McKee
Weight class: Lightweight
Fighting: Jacob Volkmann
Record: 25-3-2 (3 (T)KOs, 4 submissions) for various promotions in the United States, Canada and Mexico
Recent body of work: TKO'd Luciano Azevedo in the first round at "MFC 26: Retribution" in September
Who he is: The 40-year-old McKee has not lost a fight since dropping a decision to Karo Parisyan in 2003, a span that has lasted 15 fights (14-0-1). Long criticized for being a boring fighter (18 of his 25 wins have come by decision), McKee has finished his last two fights in the first round. In his most recent bout against Luciano, McKee stated that he would retire if he failed to finish the fight. He made good on his guarantee, blasting Luciano with elbows that forced a doctor stoppage.
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