China’s “Tiny” Liu Wenbo and South Korea’s “Hungry” Yang Hae Jun are a near-perfect stylistic match-up for one another. Both began their careers as heavyweights. Both come from a Boxing base and prefer to use their Wrestling skills defensively, to keep their fights standing. Both love to finish their fights, with 13 of their combined 14 victories coming by knockout or submission. And on August 24, both will bring everything they’ve got to the Legend Ring as they seek to be crowned as the first ever Legend Middleweight Champion. With so much riding on this fight for both men, this fight promises to be an epic battle.

Japan’s Yusuke Kawanago is the type of opponent that most fighters go out of their way to avoid. Looking across at him with his vampire mouthguard, piercing eyes, and expressionless face is enough to erode the confidence of even the most seasoned competitor. Known primarily for his brutal knockout power, Kawanago showed his versatility when he won the Legend Featherweight Title by submitting undefeated Chinese submission artist Ji Xian at Legend 8. And he’ll need those ground skills when he faces number-one ranked Australian featherweight “Ruthless” Rob Lisita. Lisita is a submission specialist known for his brute strength and relentless pace, and with his sights set on bringing the title back to Sydney, he promises to give Kawanago the fight of his life.

When Brandon Ropati’s original opponent Chris Lokteff suffered an injury less than three weeks before their scheduled bout, finding a replacement seemed unlikely. Ropati is New Zealand’s fastest rising Light Heavyweight prospect, undefeated across six fights, and finishing four of his opponents in the first round. Even with adequate preparation time, he is the type of competitor most fighters fear to face. But when presented with the chance to take on Ropati, middleweight compatriot Cole Davids didn’t hesitate to jump up a weight class to accept the opportunity. Davids fights out of Strike Force New Zealand, home to some of the country’s top MMA talent. Known for his outstanding striking, Davids’ 7-0 record includes five knockouts. And when these two men clash on August 24, only one man will leave the Legend Ring with his perfect record intact.

When Australia’s Rob Hill steps into the Legend Ring, fans know they’re in for a great fight. Hill is the only fighter on the Legend roster who has won Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night, and Submission of the Night. In his last outing, Hill lost a close decision to top Japanese lightweight Koji Ando. At Legend 10, Hill will be looking to rebound against another Koji: former King of Pancrase Koji Oishi. A 10-year veteran of MMA, Oishi has fought and beaten some of the sport’s biggest stars and will be looking to add Hill’s name to his victory list. Will Oishi’s powerful wrestling earn him the win, or will Hill notch another big finish?

Ji Xian has clearly earned both his reputation as China’s best grappler and his nickname “The Executioner.” All nine of his victories have come by submission, with eight of those coming in the first round. In fact, in his MMA career to date, he has only been out of first round three times. Facing him across the ring will be Ruel Catalan of the Philippines. Catalan is an elite striker, and a multi-tournament champion in Wushu and Muay Thai under the coaching of his legendary brother Rene. Having now dedicated himself to a career in MMA, he will face a trial-by-fire welcome to the Legend Ring against Ji but is confident that it will be his arm raised at the end of the night.

Muay Thai stylist Alex Niu made his Legend debut in 2011 with a Fight of the Night win against top-ranked compatriot Wang Sai. Although known primarily for his vicious Muay Thai striking, he dominated Wang on the ground as well en route to a statement victory. Having lost narrowly by decision against Li Jingliang in his last Legend outing, Niu will be looking to notch a victory against Legend newcomer Luke Jumeau of New Zealand. But this will not be an easy fight for Niu. Jumeau is New Zealand’s top welterweight prospect, equally dangerous on his feet and on the ground. With both fighters sporting granite chins and aggressive come-forward fighting styles, fight fans should expect these men to stand toe-to-toe and trade heavy shots from the opening bell.

In his Legend debut, Shooto Rookie Champion Yusuke Kasuya dominated Australia’s Rob Hill before a small error gave Hill the opening he needed to pull off a dramatic come-from-behind victory. Kasuya took away several lessons from his first loss, used them as motivation to train harder and smarter in the months since then, and will be looking to showcase his improved skills in his fight against Jacques Marsters. Although he is a natural lightweight, Marsters has spent most of his career fighting above his weight class, knocking out most of his opponents in spite of the size disadvantage. In his natural weight class, expect to see Marsters’ heavy hands have an even greater impact. And in this classic battle of striker vs. grappler, fight fans should expect to see a dramatic finish.

After two dominant victories gave Choi Yeong Gwang a promising start to his Legend career, the Korean was booked to compete in Legend’s inaugural Featherweight Tournament. Unfortunately, recurring injuries kept him sidelined for more than a year, preventing his return to competition until June 2012. At Legend 9, he lost a close decision to current Featherweight Title challenger Rob Lisita and is now looking to rekindle his title hopes by returning to the win column. But that’s easier said than done with Filipino Leonard Delarmino standing in his path. The younger brother of knockout artist Agustin Delarmino, Jr., striking specialist Leonard has looked increasingly impressive in each Legend outing. And with Choi being the type of opponent who likes to stand and trade punches, this fight has the makings of a spectacular slugfest.

Kiwi Kai Kara-France made his Legend debut in March on four days’ notice, replacing an injured opponent against Filipino knockout artist Agustin Delarmino, Jr. Kara-France dominated the first two rounds on the judges’ scorecards but elected not to play it safe in the third round, ultimately getting caught by Delarmino’s big left hand. In spite of the loss, the young Kiwi left a big impression and will be looking to build on that with a win in his second Legend outing. But this will be a tough task against his opponent Sam Chan. In the year since Chan started competing as a pro, he has racked up an impressive 4-1 record, finishing most of his opponents and identifying himself as one of the top prospects in Malay MMA. With his goal to notch the first Malay victory at Legend, Kara-France will be in for a tough battle.

Ev Ting took his first fight at Legend in February as a late injury replacement for Choi Yeong Gwang. Although he lost in his first Legend outing, he impressed fight fans with his never-say-die attitude and his exciting fighting style. Ting rebounded with a brutal head-kick KO victory in his native New Zealand in June and will be looking to carry that momentum into his fight against Filipino Rolando Gabriel Dy. Dy comes into his bout against Ting on the heels of a submission victory in his native Philippines last month. Originally a Boxing and Muay Thai stylist, Dy has worked hard on developing his ground game and will certainly need those skills against a talented all-round fighter like Ting.