Nate Mohr (6-4-0) 5’9”/155 lbs., fighting out of Crystal Lake, IL., is a hard-hitting fighter who bounced back from a slow start to his mixed martial arts career by winning five of his last six bouts, four by TKO. Most impressive in this run for the 24-year old was a three round unanimous decision win over Luke Caudillo in June in which he put on a standup fighting clinic for UFC fans in Florida. Mohr, a two-time Golden Gloves and kickboxing champion, will be put to the test again by Armenian tank Manny “Pitbull” Gamburyan. What started as a dream run to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter’s® fifth season for Gamburyan (5-2-0) 5’5”/155 lb., soon turned into a nightmare when a severe shoulder injury forced him to submit in the second round of his final bout against Nate Diaz. Living up to his nickname of “Pitbull,” Gamburyan rehabbed the injury, got back in the gym, and requested a return to the Octagon as soon as possible. Now, at UFC 79 the fighting PRIDE of Leninakan, Armenia makes his proper UFC debut against Mohr.

Jordan Radev (16-1-0) 5’7”/185 lbs., fighting out of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, made his UFC debut against knockout artist Drew McFedries in June, and he didn’t expect to come out with an upset defeat. Like a true warrior, Radev got back in the gym, eager for another shot in the Octagon. The former member of the Bulgarian Olympic Wrestling team gets his chance for redemption against seasoned veteran Dean “The Boogeyman” Lister. If Radev has his way, he will be the one laying the hurt down when the bell rings. Lister (9-5-0) 6’1”/185 lbs., fighting out of San Diego, Calif., is a true wizard on the mat who can make anyone a fan of ground fighting. “The Boogeyman” has the technique to give any middleweight in the world a tough night. But all the technique in the world can’t help you when you’re injured, and Lister has been through a tough year in 2007 that has only seen him fight once. Now, Lister makes his return against a tough Radev, and with a win he can start on the road back to the upper reaches of the 185-pound weight class.

Roan “Jucao” Carneiro (11-5-0) 5’9”/170 lbs., fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a veteran master of the Anaconda choke. Carneiro entered the UFC in 2007 after a stint fighting in Japan and in his home country of Brazil. “Jucao” steps into the Octagon with a 1-1 UFC slate after a win over Rich Clementi and a hard-fought loss to Jon Fitch. He has since moved to Florida to train with the renowned American Top Team and build on his already impressive Jiu-Jitsu game. A strong finish to the year is definitely on the mind of the 29-year old Brazilian as he takes on Peruvian Tony DeSouza (9-3-0) 6’1”/170 lbs. After a year-long layoff where he refocused his energies and lent his expertise to up and coming fighters as an assistant coach on season five of The Ultimate Fighter, longtime UFC standout De Souza returns to the Octagon to battle it out with Brazil’s Carneiro. For 33-year old DeSouza, it’s an opportunity to once again show the form that saw him score wins over Steve Berger, Paul Rodriguez, and Dustin Hazelett, and begin an assault on the top names at 170 pounds.