In August of 2014, "The Barbarian" Boetsch scored an emotional Performance of the Night TKO of Brad Tavares in his home state of Maine, putting him among the best in the world at 185 pounds and announcing his arrival as a divisional standout. Brazil's Leites has been on a torrid hot streak for a while now, going unbeaten in his last seven fights, a string that includes four UFC wins and back-to-back knockouts of Trevor Smith and Francis Carmont. A win over Boetsch keeps him soaring to the top.

With a combined five wins in their last seven bouts, respected middleweights Derek Brunson and Ed Herman are closing in on a spot in the top 15, and the winner of tonight's bout may determine who makes that move first. Owner of Octagon victories over Chris Leben, Brian Houston and Lorenz Larkin since coming to the UFC in 2012, Brunson is getting better with each bout, a progression that is coming at precisely the right time. A finalist on season three of The Ultimate Fighter, Herman has seen it all on fight night, and gritty wins over Trevor Smith and Rafael Natal have him ready to push Brunson to the limit.

Two of Brazil's standout talents find themselves in Las Vegas as Ildemar Alcantara moves back to the middleweight division to face another newcomer to the weight class, former Ultimate Fighter competitor Richardson Moreira. Returning to 185 pounds for the first time since 2012, Alcantara believes that he will be a better fighter and finisher here, and Moreira will be his showcase fight to prove it. A leg lock specialist who can end a fight as soon as he gets hold of an opponent, Moreira seeks his first Octagon victory and if he can defeat Alcantara, it will send a warning to the rest of the division immediately.

Highly-ranked flyweight contenders Ian McCall and John Lineker both spoke of fighting each other after their most recent victories, and at UFC 183, they get their chance in a bout that will have significant title implications. Finally hitting his UFC stride, McCall has won two straight over Iliarde Santos and Brad Pickett, once again cementing his reputation as one of the best 125-pounders in the world. A crushing puncher with fight-ending power, Brazil's Lineker has already won four UFC bouts by knockout, most recently taking out Alptekin Ozkilic in a Fight of the Night thriller.

The jostling for position in the talent-rich women's bantamweight class will begin early this year, as former world title challengers Miesha Tate and Sara McMann meet tonight. Fresh from back-to-back wins over Liz Carmouche and Rin Nakai, Tate hopes to get back in the race for another shot at champion Ronda Rousey with a win over McMann. An Olympic Silver medalist in freestyle wrestling, McMann rebounded from the only loss of her career to Rousey with a hard-fought decision win over Lauren Murphy last August.

On January 31st, all eyes will be on Las Vegas, as future Hall of Famer Anderson 'The Spider' Silva makes his return to the Octagon to face longtime contender Nick Diaz at UFC 183.