When a pundit orates on the sturdiest chins in mixed martial arts, the names that come up are quite typical.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures). Jason Guida (Pictures). Mark Hunt (Pictures).

Few fighters are blessed with a facial structure that can absorb routine punishment from fists, knees and shins, only to continue pressing forward like Jason Voorhees.

Not many fans know the name of Rob Kimmons (Pictures), but before long he will join the other mythical mahogany heads of the sport.

In his most recent bout, at the inaugural International Fighting Organization event, Kimmons was on the losing end of a unanimous decision at the hands (and feet) of UFC veteran Marvin Eastman (Pictures).

"The Beastman" hit him with every strike known to man in that fight, but the Kansas native wouldn't budge. Dozens of flush, full-leverage punches to Kimmons' jaw never fazed him.

"I've been blessed with a jaw," Kimmons said. "I can take a punch. [Eastman] was pretty fast. I have to give him credit. I figured he would be stronger than me, but I didn't think he'd be that fast. I never got hurt with any punch."

Though he was losing the majority of the duel, Kimmons continuously pressed the action and chuckled until the final bell at Eastman, who is known for crushing power that has iced opponents in both MMA and Muay Thai.

The IFO was impressed, Kimmons said, with his resilience and with his willingness to fight Eastman on short notice in a weight division above his normal 185-pound class.

At 17-3, Kimmons is happy with the organization and readily admits that he isn't quite ready for top-shelf competition. In particular he enjoys being one of the big dogs in the IFO's stable, and he'll headline the promotion's card Friday at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

"The Rosedale Reaper" -- Kimmons got the nickname years ago when he freestyle rapped with friends -- was scheduled to fight durable veteran Joe Jordan (Pictures). For myriad reasons, though, Jordan withdrew from the event.

Filling in on short notice is Tristan Yunker (Pictures), an opponent who is night-and-day different than Jordan.

"I never heard of him, and at first I didn't like the change," Kimmons said. "I think that maybe Joe Jordan (Pictures) is a better fighter. Joe is a five-foot-six fighter who is a brawler, and that's who I prepared for. But then about three weeks out my opponent is changed to a six-foot-three grappler, and that's a big difference, especially since I had been training for a completely different fighter. From what I've seen of [Yunker] from about four fights I saw on YouTube, he looks like a straight-ahead wrestler with some grappling. He's young, he's cocky, and has been talking about me real bad on the forums."

Kimmons, whose only other professional losses came to Joe Riggs (Pictures) and Ryan Jensen (Pictures), is undaunted. He expects to delight the crowd once again, except this time he predicts his hand will be raised.

In another feature bout at Friday's IFO event, King of the Cage and Bodog veteran "Big" Eric Pele (Pictures) squares off against Antoine Hayes.

Pele, a recognizable face from the popular reality show "Inked," has decided to temporarily pause his tattoo trade and refocus on fighting. He had decided to retire after defeating Bobby Hoffman (Pictures) in May 2005. With the UFC's exploding popularity, however, Pele says money provoked his return.

Friday marks the first time he has fought in his hometown since he toppled Hoffman. Even though the super heavyweight has one bout remaining on his Bodog contract, he seized this opportunity against the little-known Hayes to stay active.

"I have never seen him fight, so I don't really know much about him other than he's a southpaw," Pele said. "He's got some solid wins, though. He beat Jimmy Ambriz (Pictures) and some other tough guys. He's not a chump by any means. I'm just glad and excited to be back in there after my fight with Aleksander [Emelianenko]. Because with that I feel like I left on unsettled terms. I just want to get back in there and work my way back up to [top] guys."

Pele needs a victory to start him back up the ladder, and he vows to redeem himself for the debacle against Emelianenko.

"I definitely gave [Emelianenko] too much respect," he said with a sigh. "When he hit me, he hit me behind the ear, and I thought it was kind of a flash. But when it was all said and done, the referee called it. I usually turtle up in that situation, but when I was down on the canvas, I didn't turn away, and he got me. All I know is one second I'm looking at him, and then next thing I know I'm looking at the cameras."

"Big" Eric isn't planning on looking at any cameras Friday, unless it's after he nabs the win.

Rounding out the IFO card are notable match-ups between heavyweight champion Chris Guillen (Pictures) and Josh Diekman (Pictures) and a light heavyweight showdown between Josh Haynes (Pictures), of "The Ultimate Fighter 4," and John Cornett.