The day is finally here. UFC 158, the long awaited card featuring the clash of the welterweight titans, is happening in just a few short hours. With three exciting bouts at 170, one might be tempted to overlook some of the other intriguing match-ups on the card.

Currently on hot streaks, and ready to kick start the main card, Chris Camozzi vs Nick Ring is a fight that will most certainly have the winner right at the door of the Top 10, and a ranked opponent in their next outing. That's how it's supposed to go, right?

Unfortunately, that's not the case 100% of the time. In an era where personality and trash talk are everything, there are some guys that move up the ranks at light speed, climbing right over the shoulders of the hard workers making silent, arduous strides forward.

I recently interviewed Chris Camozzi, who weighed in on the Top 10 rankings. Here's what he had to say:

You know, I don't want to take this fight lightly. Nick is a step up from the guys I've been fighting, which is good. I think I'm a step up for him, as well. If all goes well for me out there, then a win over Nick should put me in range for fighting somebody in the Top 10, so I can work my way closer to the title.

There's still plenty of guys that are in the Top 10 that have never fought a Top 10 guy, but they've managed to get those rankings. I'm ready to fight those guys and earn my way up.

A while back, when the last of the Strikeforce guys were brought over, Camozzi had issued a friendly challenge to the promotion's middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, which was met with ridicule and ultimately dismissed. Chris feels that Rockhold is one of those undeserved holders of a Top 10 ranking, stating:

I tried to get them to give me Luke, but he obviously didn't want the fight for whatever reason. I think we're going to see a Hector Lombard type thing. Luke will fight Vitor, and I think Vitor is probably going to smash him, and then we'll see where he's at.

I think with a win over Nick, and Vitor standing in his way, I probably surpass him anyway. There would be no point to me fighting him. He should have taken it when he had the chance. We'll see. If the UFC wants it, then I'd still do it. I think he's another one of those guys that's in the rankings that probably shouldn't be, yet. I know he was the Strikeforce champion, and they probably had to put him somewhere. His fight with Vitor will prove whether he should be there or not.

I just want to beat the best guys out there. If they put numbers next to those guys' names, it just gives me a list that I need to get through, so it works for me.

You can follow Chris via his Twitter, @ChrisCamozzi

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