UFC 95’s co-features are pivotal bouts in the middleweight and welterweight divisions, as Wilson Gouveia and Nate Marquardt meet at 185 lbs, and Rory Markham and Dan Hardy collide inside the Octagon at 170 lbs.

On the undercard, Josh Koscheck will look to spoil the UFC debut of newcomer Paulo Thiago in welterweight action, and submission specialist Demian Maia will welcome Chael Sonnen back to the UFC’s middleweight division in Sonnen’s first bout since coming over from the WEC.

Joe “Daddy” Stevenson (34-9) from Victorville, CA, burst onto the MMA scene while appearing on “The Ultimate Fighter 2,” defeating Luke Cummo in the show’s finale to win the welterweight competition. After dropping down to lightweight, Stevenson defeated a succession of impressive opponents, including Yves Edwards, Melvin Guillard, and Kurt Pellegrino, to earn a shot at the lightweight title against BJ Penn. And though Stevenson fell short in his title effort, he looks to kick off 2009 on a winning note against Sanchez.

Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez (21-2) will make his debut in the lightweight division at UFC 95, a far cry from his days on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, where he, incredibly, fought at middleweight. After defeating Kenny Florian to take home “The Ultimate Fighter” crown at Season 1’s finale, Sanchez dropped down to welterweight, and rattled off wins against some of the division’s best, including Nick Diaz, Karo Parisyan, and Joe Riggs. After dropping back to back bouts to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, Sanchez left the welterweight division on a high note, besting David Bielkheden and Luigi Fioravanti before announcing his move to lightweight. Now he’ll be aiming for his third straight win, this time with his eyes on BJ Penn’s lightweight belt, as he takes on Stevenson.

The night’s co-features will go a long way towards sorting out the contenders from the pretenders in the middleweight and welterweight divisions.

In middleweight action, Wilson Gouveia (12-5) is on a quest to win his third straight bout, and seventh in eight tries. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, who trains with American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, most recently defeated Jason McDonald at “The Ultimate Fighter 8” finale. He achieved this victory like he has all of his wins inside the Octagon: by finishing the bout before it went to the judges’ cards. Gouveia will look to continue that trend against Nate Marquardt.