Undefeated Nick Ring (10-0) squares off with noted Japanese fighter Riki Fukuda on the Ion TV broadcast portion of the UFC 127 undercard.

What have these guys done lately?

Ring: W - Yannick Galipeau (SUB), W - Chester Post (TKO), W - Isidro Gonzalez (SUB)
Fukuda: W - Ryuta Sakurai (TKO), W - Hiromitsu Kanehara (Dec), W - Yuichi Nakanishi

How did these guys get here?

Nick Ring was a contestant on season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter. He picked up a few victories of the show but a knee injury forced him out before a rematch with Court McGee could take place. He has fought on some noted regional level shows as well as defeating Ryuichi Murata at DEEP 23.

Riki Fukuda has fought a very busy schedule since making his debut as a pro in 2004. Fukuda has fought for Shooto, Pancrase, DREAM and DEEP. He is the current DEEP middleweight champion, a title that he won by defeating Yuichi Nakanishi. Currently riding a seven fight win streak, Fukuda is looking to experience success in his first ever UFC event.

Why should you care?

Fukuda will be looking to quiet the doubters who point to the relatively shallow DEEP middleweight division as a reason to ignore the "champion" tag. Ring is undefeated and could have a bright future if he can keep his knee problems under control. It should be a competitive and reasonably exciting fight. There isn't a lot on the line in terms of the title picture but both men need and want this win.