He may have lost a unanimous five-round decision to UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo last October, but Chad Mendes came out of that fight proving to the world that he's in a different class, at least when it comes to the rest of the contenders in the division. The betting lines certainly agree, putting UFC Fight Night 63 main event opponent Ricardo Lamas at +350.

MMA Mania, though, opines that "The Bully" may not truly be that big of an underdog when steps into the cage at the afternoon show inside the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. As the article points out, outside of his lackluster showing when he fought Aldo, Lamas has collected wins against some of the division's biggest names that include Cub Swanson, Dennis Bermudez, and Hacran Dias. Lamas has shown marked improvement with almost every fight, and has finished four of his six UFC victories.

Mendes will have to prove that he is indeed head and shoulders above everyone in the division that isn't wearing the belt. During the World Tour presser for the Aldo-Conor McGregor fight in Dublin, UFC president Dana White said that depending on how the Mendes-Lamas, and Edgar-Faber fights go, the next challenger for the title might just come from either of those two fights.

After losing to Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier moves up to lightweight for his match with the dangerous Carlos Diego Ferreira. Poirier was being groomed as a possible contender in the featherweight division, but after losses to McGregor, Swanson, and Chan Sung Jung, he's looking to make his mark in a new division.

Julianna Pena is back from her gruesome injury, and will be looking to prove that she is a major threat in the women's bantamweight division when she faces Milana Dudieva. As MMA Mania points out, with Rousey cleaning up the division, an impressive win could propel Pena to a fast tracked title shot against the undefeated champion.

The main card of UFC Fight Night 63 is schedule on April 4, Saturday with the action set to kick-off at 1 pm ET.