When one thinks of the marquee figures within the mixed martial arts world – that is, the Chuck Lidells, the Randy Coutures, the Royce Gracies - the name Jason Brilz doesn't come up too often. In fact, up until about a month ago, even the most dedicated followers of cage fighting would have had trouble pointing the man out in a lineup.  Despite having the respectable record of 18-2, the Nebraska native hardly made a blip on the collective radar of mainstream fight fans.  It comes down to quality.  You see, in the fighting world, a fighter is judged on the quality of competition he’s beaten in the past, and quite frankly, Brilz’ resume was a bit lacking in the big-names department.  A win over Eric Schafer earlier in 2010?  What does that even mean?

Then one day Brilz received a call from Joe Silva – the match maker over at the UFC – offering him the chance to step in as an alternate for a fight coming up in less than three weeks.  Most fighters, when given the opportunity to jump in on such short notice, are typically a bit hesitant to rush into any commitments.  What kind of fighter am I facing? Does my style match up well against his? How much will I be getting paid?  Those are the questions most fighters would consider before jumping in the cage at such late notice.  But not Jason.  He jumped on the opportunity without even knowing who he was going to fight.