When asked about their expectations for an upcoming bout, most UFC athletes offer clichés about giving 110 percent en route to a victory and earning a UFC-crowned Fight of the Night award.

Roger Huerta (Pictures) and Clay Guida (Pictures) are no different, but their anticipation doesn't end with a nightly award and a five-figure financial bonus.

"This fight has got a lot of fight of the year, fight of the night [talk] written all over it," Huerta told Sherdog.com about headlining "The Ultimate Fighter" season finale on SpikeTV. "Truth is, I think this is a big deal for both of us."

"It's going to be Fourth of July on Dec. 8," Guida said. "Fireworks for everybody."

Cage wars are not foreign to either man, especially the 24-year-old Huerta, who fights out of Minneapolis, Minn. The dynamic Latino fighter has pushed the boundaries of cardio and mental fortitude several times since making his UFC debut in September 2006.

"Being in that Octagon -- that place is my home -- I feel comfort," he said. "Time slows down for me there."

Huerta, 5-0 in the UFC and 19-1-1 with 1 NC overall, will face his toughest test yet in Guida, who turns 25 on the day of the contest.

"I just want to win dominantly, just wear him down," Huerta said. "I know he's going to be one of the harder guys to wear down because he has great cardio. But at the same time, I want to be the one to do that."

"El Matador" has faced criticism in the media and from fans, who point out that Huerta has faced an Octagon newcomer in each of his five bouts in the UFC.

"Winning this fight would definitely shut up a lot of people," said Huerta about the UFC-tested Guida. "I'm ready to show everybody that I am a contender and I will be champion."

Guida, 22-8-0, disagrees.

"I'm going to beat Roger," said a confident Guida. "The difference in this fight is going to be who can push it from the beginning of the first second of the fight."

Curran feeling pressure for WEC title clash with Faber

At 30 years old and with nearly a decade of professional mixed martial arts bouts under his belt, Jeff Curran (Pictures) feels that getting a shot at WEC poster boy Urijah Faber (Pictures)'s featherweight title is a dream come true.

"The timing couldn't be more perfect. It's been 10 years since I started fighting," said Curran, who sports a 28-8-1 record. "Anybody that fought 10 years ago that's fighting today will tell you it's night and day."

Night and day is a perfect way to describe the Wonder Lake, Ill. native's career, which has seen many successes -- like wins against featherweight submission experts Antonio Carvalho (Pictures) and Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) -- as well as narrow losses to some of the biggest names in the sport, including Matt Serra (Pictures), Hatsu Hioki (Pictures) and Norifumi Yamamoto (Pictures).

"Fighting someone like Faber, who has a great record … I think the opponent is perfect," said Curran, who has won 15 of his last 16 contests.

"The pressure is on me. I've put so much pressure on myself for this fight, because I work well under it."

Pressure comes in many forms. Come Dec. 12, the physical aspect will weigh heavy as Curran faces an opponent known for his suffocating brand of control and ground-and-pound.

"The advantage is to me for the experience," he said. "When it starts to be maybe not going my way for 20 minutes, I'm still in it. I'm still in it to win because the fight isn't over until the final bell rings."

Curran is no stranger to going the distance. In his 37 bouts, the judges have decided 14. In contrast, Faber has waited for the official scorecards to be read only twice in 20 trips to the cage.

"I think Faber thinks he is unbeatable," Curran declared. "And that's what is going to get him beat."

IFL expands reach with U.K. television deal

The International Fight League and Alfred Haber Distribution announced earlier this week that England's ITV4 television network has begun carrying IFL programming on Saturday nights.

"The United Kingdom is a growing market for the sport of mixed martial arts, and we think that our programming, which is different from the cage fighting that has been the norm, will have a much greater mainstream appeal," stated IFL CEO Jay Larkin in a news release.

The IFL is now broadcast on MyNetworkTV and FSN in the United States, MBC in the Middle East, CanWest Global and Fox Sports Canada in Canada, Star TV in Asia, EGO in Israel and Armed Forces Television worldwide. ITV4 joined Sweden's TV4 as the sole European broadcast partners.

Steele Cage Promotions inks Al Bernstein

Following his appearance in the booth at EliteXC's "Renegade" broadcast, Al Bernstein has signed on with hall of fame boxing referee Richard Steele's International Fighting Organization to provide commentary for its Dec. 28 event at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

"Having Al Bernstein as one of our commentators takes our events to the next level," stated John Stachofsky, vice president of the IFO.

Bernstein made a name for himself in the 1970s as a scribe for the popular pugilist publications Ring Magazine and Boxing Illustrated. In 1980, Bernstein joined ESPN as the voice of its "Top Rank Boxing" series.

Currently employed as a boxing analyst for cable subscription-based network Showtime, the broadcaster also appears weekly on ESPN Classic with "Bernstein on Boxing."

‘Warpath' positive for anabolic steroid

Heavyweight mixed martial artist Ruben Villareal (Pictures) (13-14-3) tested positive for the banned substance 4-Hydroxytestosterone following his technical knockout defeat to Jimmy Ambriz (Pictures) on Nov. 7 in Hollywood, Calif., for the World Cage Fighting Organization.

Along with a one-year suspension levied by the California State Athletic Commission, Villareal, 37, has been fined $2,500.