Lightweight newcomers John Cholish and Mitch Clarke meet at UFC 140 in Toronto

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Two UFC newcomers are on their way to Toronto this December, as multiple published reports state that lightweight prospects John Cholish and Mitch Clarke will square off at UFC 140.

The event marks the second trip to Toronto for the UFC in 2011. After debuting with a record-breaking card from the Rogers Centre in April at UFC 129, this event will be scaled back to their normal capacity for events at the Canadian city's Air Canada Center.

Cholish brings a 7-1 record into his UFC debut. The New Jersey native lost his first career fight in 2007, but has gone unbeaten since then, including picking up a very impressive kneebar win over Ultimate Fighter alum Marc Stevens at Strikeforce "Fedor vs. Silva" in February. He followed that up with a submission win over WEC-vet Jameel Massouh, keeping his streak of stoppage victories intact at six.

Canadian lightweight Clarke has won all nine of his fights since beginning his career in 2007. He's gone to the judges in only two of his fights, and boasts five submission victories of his own.

Penick's Analysis: This sounds like a very solid preliminary card matchup between these two newcomers. Cholish has pulled off a couple of submission wins in a row over recognizable names, and while Cholish doesn't have the names under his belt he's still been winning fights. Both will be out to make a big impression to UFC brass in Toronto, so I'd expect a good showing from each in this fight.

Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko