5 Fighters on the UFC 221 hot seat

UFC Fight Night: Rockhold v BispingUFC 221 takes place this Saturday (Feb. 10, 2018) from Perth, Australia and featured in the main event is the interim middleweight title fight pitting former 185-pound kingpin Luke Rockhold against Yoel Romero.While a number of fighters are welcoming the warm weather down in Perth, others will be feeling the heat for different reasons as they are in desperate need of a victory. Here are five fighters on the preverbal "Hot Seat" ahead of UFC 221.

#1 Yoel Romero

Out of majority of the fighters on this list, Romero won't have to worry about job security when he steps into the octagon on Saturday. However, the American Top Team standout needs to seize this opportunity as he looks to take home the first major championship of his career.

The Cuban born fighter is coming off his first loss in the Octagon, suffering a unanimous decision setback to Robert Whittaker at UFC 213 where he also lost out on capturing the middleweight championship.

With the 185-pound class being one of the deepest in the UFC a second-straight loss would undoubtedly push him further down the rankings. Add in the fact that the Strikeforce veteran turns 41 in April, so losing again would surely diminish another opportunity at a UFC title. Romero was slated to take on former World Series Of Fighting two-division champion David Branch on Feb. 24, however, an injury to Whittaker allowed the charismatic middleweight the opportunity to face Rockhold for the interim title.

Romero has a tough tall task ahead (literally) as his opponent Rockhold stands 6'3 with a 77-inch reach and has only lost twice in the last 10-years.