This Sunday night the show welcomes two talented competitors who call the UFC home in the form of lightweight Shane Roller and featherweight Dennis Bermudez. Also set to offer up some insight, BloodyElbow/Wrestling Observer writer Josh Nason will call in to reflect on the sport’s current landscape.

The 8-3 Bermudez, a former All-American wrestler, was a finalist on TUF 14 and recently picked up a dominating decision win over Pablo Garza earlier this month at UFC on FOX 3.

Roller (10-6) is also more-than familiar with work on the mat after being named an All-American three times during his storied career at Oklahoma State. The longtime Zuffa veteran holds wins over Jamie Varner, Thiago Tavares, Anthony Njokuani, and Danny Castillo under the company’s banner between his time in WEC/UFC. His next fight is scheduled for July 7 at UFC 148 where he’ll face John Alessio.

Interested listeners can also contribute to the show by submitting questions for guests via Twitter or email (RebellionMMARadio@yahoo.com).

Catch Rebellion MMA Radio live on Sunday at 6:30 PM EST where the guys offer their own unique takes on all-things MMA.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The show takes place July 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with Anderson Silva defending his middleweight title against Chael Sonnen in the main event. Alessio-Roller is likely headed to the prelims.

Alessio, who will compete for the 50th time in his career at the event, is still looking for his first UFC win in four tries including a loss to Pat Miletich more than a decade ago. In his most recent appearance the seasoned Canadian was defeated by Mark Bocek at UFC 145, snapping a three fight winning streak for the 35-14 competitor.

“Well there you go!!!! My next fight is UFC 148 vs Shane Roller on July 7th in my new home town of Las Vegas..time to knock someone out,” wrote an excited Alessio on his Twitter page.

Comparably, Roller will attempt to get himself back on track when he meets Alessio after consecutive losses against Melvin Guillard, T.J. Grant, and Michael Johnson. The three-time All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University holds an overall record of 10-6 including success against Thiago Tavares and Jamie Varner under the Zuffa banner.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/WEC

In McKenzie’s place will be a multi-time All American wrestler as Shane Roller has accepted the bout. Roller-Johnson will be part of the undercard for the January 28 show with the bout being televised by FUEL TV.

Roller (10-5) is just 1-2 in the UFC since his time in WEC where he racked up a 6-2 record including wins over Danny Castillo, Anthony Njokuani, and Jamie Varner. Comparably, Johnson (9-6) shares the exact same record inside the Octagon. His last fight came in October where he was submitted by crafty Brit Paul Sass. With their 1-2 marks, this is likely a critical match for both men if hoping to remain on the UFC roster.

UFC on FOX 2 features a triple-headed headliner involving Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, Chael Sonnen vs. Mark Munoz, and Michael Bisping vs. Demian Maia.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

According to the UFC, the two talented grapplers will meet on October 1 at UFC Live 6 as part of a lineup headlined by bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz putting his belt up for grabs against Demetrious Johnson.

Grant has gone to the judges’ scorecards in five of his six Octagon appearances with wins over Kevin Burns, Julio Paulino, and Ryo Chonan. The 16-5 Canadian has won three-quarters of his total bouts by way of tap-out including four straight prior to signing with the UFC.

The 32-year old Roller had had notched victories over Thiago Tavares, Jamie Varner, Danny Castillo and Anthony Njokuani in four of his five fights before running into Guillard. He holds an overall record of 10-4 with nine stoppages including six submissions and three TKOs.

It is likely Roller vs. Grant will take place on the preliminary portion of UFC Live 6 alongside other expected pairings like Yves Edwards vs. Rafaello Oliveira and Paul Sass vs. Michael Johnson.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Former WEC bantamweight champ Brian Bowles earned “Submission of the Night” and $40,000 after putting Damacio Page to sleep using a Guillotine Choke with ninety seconds remaining in the opening round of their UFC Live 3 showdown. Interestingly enough, not only did the 30-year old defeat Page using the same technique at WEC 35 but both finishes came at the exact same mark. The win was the first in a year for Bowles after losing his title to Dominick Cruz at WEC 47 and subsequently being sidelined with injury as a result.

Fellow WEC alumnus Shane Roller also pocketed $40,000 for “Knockout of the Night”. Roller withstood an impressive assault from opponent Thiago Tavares in the first round of their fight but came back sharply in the second stanza with a straight right resulting in the end of the Brazilian’s night. The victory brought Roller’s win column to double digits as his overall record now stands at 10-3.

Finally, though the headlining tilt between Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez may have resulted in a debatable decision one thing impossible to argue is the level of entertainment both welterweights provided in the evening’s final fight. The two talented 170-pounders battled for three hotly-contested rounds seeing Sanchez bruised and bloodied with Kampmann also leaking crimson and nursing a possible broken hand. Their mutual performances in Sanchez’s razor-thin win netted each man $60,000 for participation in “Fight of the Night”.

UPDATE:: Yahoo Sports is reporting Dana White decided to throw an extra $100,000 on top of the $60,000 award as a means of honoring the gutsy performance both turned in.

WEC 53, already announced as featuring a pair of title bouts, has added a quartet of lightweight contenders to its line-up in what will be a final audition for viewers prior to the group merging with the UFC’s star-studded 155-pound division in 2011.

According to the WEC itself, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Jamie Varner will be fighting on the card…but not against each other. Cerrone will face 23-year old Chris Horodecki at the Glendale event, while Arizona’s own Varner has been paired up with Shane Roller.

Cerrone is coming off a victory over the afore-mentioned Varner, while Horodecki has won back-to-back bouts and is 4-1 in his last five. Both are known for being fairly fearless strikers and should keep fans on their feet from start to finish as a result.

Not as fortunate in their previous outings, Varner and Roller will both be looking to right their proverbial ships when they mix it up in earlier main-card action. Roller lost via submission in the final seconds of his match-up with contender Anthony Pettis at WEC 50, while former WEC lightweight champ Varner hasn’t notched a win since barely out-pointing “The Cowboy” in a controversial result almost two years ago at WEC 38. Since then, in addition to Cerrone, he has fallen to current 155-pound title-holder Ben Henderson and drawn against Kamal Shalorus.

On top of the previously mentioned scraps, WEC 53 – set for December 16th – will also feature Henderson defending his belt against Pettis, as well as bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz putting his strap on the line against Scott Jorgensen.

The bout has recently been confirmed as being signed from sources close the negotiations through a report made by MMAJunkie.com.

WEC 42 is set to take place at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on August 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be headlined by a bantamweight championship match-up featuring the champion Miguel Torres facing off with the explosive and undefeated Brian Bowles.

Roller is a three time All-American wrestler that has compiled a record of 5-2 during his time spent in MMA. His last fight ended in the first round as he was knocked senseless at the hands of Benson Henderson.

Hicks is coming off of a two fight skid where he was knocked out by WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner and subsequently lost a close decision to former champ Rob McCullough. “The Wrecking Ball” had put together an undefeated record of 8-0, with six submissions and two knockouts just prior to his recent losses.

A full list of the bout expected for WEC 42 are listed below:

Miguel Torres vs. Brian Bowles (WEC 135 pound championship bout)

Jeff Curran vs. Takeya Mizugaki

Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz

Leonard Garcia vs. Jameel Massouh

Marcus Hicks vs. Shane Roller

Phil Cardella vs. Ed Ratcliff

Fredson Paixao vs. Cole Province

Danny Castillo vs. Ricardo Lamas