Hatsu Hioki will be fighting for more than a "W" at UFC 137, the pride of his homeland rests on his shoulders according to ufc.com.

Hioki is set to face off against George Roop at UFC 137 in a featherweight bout and as Hioki puts it, "it is very important since I would like to prove that the Japanese still can fight."

Japanese MMA has always been significant to the sport, none more so than perhaps the heydays of Pride FC. However as of late, its prominence has been fading. Dream, Sengoku and other Japanese based MMA promotions fail to deliver the events and talent Pride once did.

The UFC has had its fair share of Japanese mixed martial artist but very few find consistent success in the stateside promotion. Among the UFC's top Japanese talent is Yushin Okami who was recently defeated by Anderson Silva in their middleweight title bout at UFC 134, losing in the second round via TKO.

For Hioki (24-4-2), his arrival to the UFC's featherweight division could arguably be one of the more talented additions coming from the Land of the Rising Sun in recent times.

"The UFC looked to give me the best and the hardest challenge now with the current roster. The UFC featherweight division is stacked, and at the top of the division Mr. (Jose) Aldo has no holes in his game, it seems. He's very explosive," Hioki said.

Hioki is 12-1-1 over 14 fights, his only loss coming from a controversial split decision to Michihiro Omigawa, and is riding a four fight win streak. Hioki also holds notable wins over Mark Hominick and Jeff Curran.

"Yes, I feel some pressure, I will try to beat the pressure and Mr. Roop," Hioki said about his UFC debut.

Roop (12-7-1) will be opposing Hioki in his UFC debut and will be a tough first test for the Japanese star. Roop, although unable to string wins together in recent fights, is coming off of an upset win over Josh Grispi at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 13. He also holds a victory over Chan Sung Jung. In both those bouts Roop came in as the underdog but went on to finish his opponents in exciting fashion.

"My style is to utilize all MMA skills and control the pace of fights. Please expect to see the toughness of the Japanese fighting spirit," Hioki added.

UFC 137 is scheduled on October 29, 2011 to be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hioki and Roop will square off in a featherweight match up on the main card. Also on the main card is bantamweight bout between Scott Jorgensen and Jeff Curran. Mirko Filipovic to fight "Big Country", Roy Nelson. Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione to duke it out in a heavyweight bout. BJ Penn and Nick Diaz will headline the event in a welterweight bout.