3 Brazilian fighters who could make their mark at UFC 212

Brazil's old guard are ready to lay down their arms and that means there's an opportunity for new stars to fill the void.

When the Octagon lands in Rio de Janeiro this Saturday for UFC 212, it will feature Brazilians in all 12 bouts, including several up-and-comers who are in prime position to shine on home soil. That's good news for the UFC and its fans as mainstays like Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort approach the twilight of their careers.

Is there another "Spider" or "Phenom" waiting in the wings? Here are three fighters who could someday fill the shoes of their legendary countrymen:

(Former World Series of Fighting champion Marlon Moraes is excluded from this list due to his established name in MMA. You can read more about his UFC 212 bout here.)

Paulo Borrachinha

Division: Middleweight
Age: 26
Record: 9-0
From: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais
Could be the next ... Vitor Belfort

Nine pro fights, nine first-round finishes.

Sounds like a prospect worthy of comparisons to The Phenom, no?

Though Borrachinha has a long way to go to match Belfort's two decades of destruction, he's off to a great start. Blessed with a chiseled physique and the kind of knockout power that makes for YouTube highlight reels with unnecessarily loud music, Borrachinha is exactly the kind of fighter that can rapidly build a following.

The hulking Brazilian actually had a brush with the UFC three years ago as a cast member on the third season of "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil." His lack of experience cost him as he failed to make it out of the show's opening round, so he went back to the regional scene for more seasoning.

Six fights later, Borrachinha found himself making his big show debut opposite Garreth McLellan. He needed just 77 seconds to wallop McLelland and pick up his first UFC win.

Borrachinha takes on Oluwale Bamgbose on the main card this Saturday, and if he can orchestrate another fast finish, it will inch him closer to becoming one of the faces of Brazilian MMA.

Antonio Carlos Junior

Division: Middleweight
Age: 27
Record: 7-2 (1 no contest)
From: Joao Pessoa, Paraiba
Could be the next ... Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza

If there's one thing Brazilians love it's their jiu-jitsu and there aren't too many MMA fighters better at it than Antonio Carlos Junior.

Don't let the unflattering moniker of "Cara de Sapato" (Portuguese for "Shoeface") or his uneven UFC record fool you: Carlos Junior has the potential to be one of the sport's deadliest submission artists.

After winning "TUF: Brazil 3" as a heavyweight, Carlos Junior lost a 205-lb fight before dropping down to a more ideal 185 pounds where he has gone 3-1. Other than a bizarre no-contest against Kevin Casey and a disappointing third-round TKO loss to Dan Kelly that he was winning up to that point, Carlos Junior has shown that his grappling expertise is a serious problem for the middleweight division.

In addition to his budding MMA career, Cara de Sapato recently submitted jiu-jitsu superstar Garry Tonon in a grappling-only competition. If he can expand on his all-around game like Jacare, a future spot in the top 10 isn't out of the question.

Viviane Pereira

Division: Strawweight
Age: 23
Record: 12-0
From: Taua, Ceara
Could be the next ... Jessica Andrade

Obviously, Pereira doesn't have the power of Andrade (few fighters in the world do), but she does have the same aggressiveness and inclination toward striking as "Bate Estaca." She also packs considerable punch for someone barely taller than a fire hydrant.

Listed at an even 5 feet, the pint-sized Pereira is probably best suited for the atomweight division. Unfortunately, that weight class doesn't exist in the UFC so she's been thrown into the 115-lb ranks against opponents who will almost always have the size advantage.

That didn't stop Pereira from winning her UFC debut against one-time title contender Valerie Letourneau. The veteran Canadian was one of the largest strawweights in the UFC at the time and she struggled to figure out the scrappy "Sucuri." Though Pereira didn't exactly set the Octagon ablaze with her performance, the fact that she was able to scrape out a victory against a fighter of Letournau's caliber on less than two months' notice proved that she is one to watch at 115 pounds.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)