By John Moody Earlier this year, Fighters.com alerted you to the emergence of Chris Weidman, before he was signed by the UFC, as one to watch in MMA.  Now, we highlight a veteran of the sport who is in the midst of a career resurgence and may be one or two wins away from the big call up to UFC/Strikeforce.  New Jersey's Chris Liguori is a fighter we have highlighted before on Fighters.com and tonight the Ring Of Combat Lightweight Champion looks for his fourth win in a row and sixth out of seven fights against M-1 Challenge veteran Mikhail Malyutin in Atlantic City. As Liguori notes in this video interview, he believes he is on par, skill-wise, with the best in the world and ready for the move to the highest level.  He also remarks, in fun, about his day job ... working on the railroad. Watch this video interview as he spars with his longtime training mate, Frankie Edgar. Click through to watch video. And if you are in Atlantic City tonight - Check out Liguori at Ring Of Combat! ...

By John Moody Chris Liguori’s MMA career has been a wild ride -- from early wars against Pete Sell in Ring of Combat to a quick call up to the UFC in 2003 to a return to ROC mixed with a marquee win in Elite XC along the way.  As part of the Ricardo Almeida Fight Team he trains weekly with Frankie Edgar, Almeida, Nick Catone, Eddie Alvarez, Renzo Gracie and an on-going cast of visiting MMA stars.  Now on a three fight win streak and facing an April 8^th fight in the Ring of Combat, Liguori is an evolved fighter, but it seems opportunities from the top organizations are still held hostage by the scars of his very early career losses, before he took the sport and training as seriously as he does today. At 28, now fighting at lightweight, Liguori has seen it all in MMA and believes he is competing on par with the best in the sport and ready to return to the UFC. As one of Edgar’s primary training partners and corner men, he is not in awe of the flash and bright lights of the big stage and plans to keep winning fights wherever they happen until the call from UFC matchmaker, Joe Silva, comes in. Liguori, a New Jersey native, recently took time to review his career and the future ahead with Fighters.com. ...