UFC 140 Fresh Faces: Mitch Clarke, Josh Cholish, Jake Hecht

Josh Cholish (bottom) makes his UFC debut at UFC 140. Photo courtesy of Keith Mills

Less than three months after successfully defending his light-heavyweight title, Jon Jones will step back into the Octagon this Saturday at UFC 140 against number-one contender Lyoto Machida in Toronto.

Three fighters will also make their promotional debuts on the Facebook portion of the card, including a local talent and a Strikeforce veteran. Find out who they are in this edition of Fresh Faces.

Name: Jake Hecht

Weight class: Welterweight

Fighting: Rich Attonito

Record: 10-2 (2 (T)KOs, 5 submissions)

Recent body of work: Defeated Michele Verginelli by unanimous decision in Jordan last June

Who he is: An American fighter based out of Foire MMA in Cork, Ireland, Jake Hatch enters the UFC on a three-fight winning streak. Hatch has fought two former “Ultimate Fighter” contestants in regional action, defeating Charlie Rader by unanimous decision last year, then dropping a unanimous decision to current UFC fighter Che Mills in his next fight. Since losing his pro MMA debut in 2006, Hecht has gone 10-1 since 2008, and has shown a varied submission game that includes two finishes by north-south choke.

Name: Mitch Clarke

Weight class: Lightweight

Fighting: John Cholish

Record: 9-0 (1 (T)KO, 6 submissions)

Recent body of work: Defeated Eddie Rincon by unanimous decision at EFC 8 last April

Who he is: Canadian prospect Mitch Clarke has never fought outside of Canada, a streak that will continue when he makes his UFC debut in Toronto on Saturday. Clarke has proven to be a dangerous grappler, finishing six of his opponents with a variety of submissions. With the exception of his two decision victories, none of Clarke’s fights have made it out of the second round.

Name: John Cholish

Weight class: Lightweight

Fighting: Mitch Clarke

Record: 7-1 (2 (T)KOs, 4 submissions)

Recent body of work: Submitted Jameel Massouh by guillotine choke at CFFC 9 in June

Who he is: Since dropping his pro debut fight in 2007, Renzo Gracie pupil John Cholish has wheeled off seven straight wins, including the last six by stoppage. An Ivy League graduate and energy broker by day, Cholish already has big-league experience, earning a submission victory over “Ultimate Fighter” alum Marc Stevens on the “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva” card last February.

Cameron Gidari is the official writer for TapouTVTC.com. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/GidariTapouTVTC