With Tony Martin forced out of his July 23 bout against Michel Prazeres due to injury, Oklahoma City newcomer JC Cottrell has stepped up to make his first Octagon walk at United Center in Chicago to face Brazil's "Tractor."
In the UFC on FOX main event, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm faces rising star Valentina Shevchenko, and in the co-featured bout, lightweight contenders Edson Barboza and Gilbert Melendez collide.
Winner of 17 of his 20 pro bouts, the 26-year-old Cottrell is unbeaten in six straight, and he's not showing up just to make up the numbers in his UFC debut.
"It is a pretty cool accomplishment but I want much more than simply being a UFC fighter," he said of fighting in the UFC. "I want to build my name and record and be a UFC contender and then earn my way up the ladder."