With UFC 167 right around the corner, let’s look at the main card, and I’ll share my thoughts on each of the big bouts…
First and foremost, is the main event: Georges “Rush” St-Pierre vs. Johnny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks for the UFC welterweight title. St-Pierre has been the welterweight champion for 5 years, has defended his title 8 times, 3 of those earning “fight of the night” honours. He has defended the title against some great fighters, such as Nick Diaz, Jake Shields and Carlos Condit. The challenger this time, Johnny Hendricks, has a developed striking game (especially well known for KO potential in his strong left hand) and is an NCAA All-American wrestling champion. He has some excellent kickboxing, and has won 15 of his last 16 MMA fights; three of which earned knockout of the night. Everything said, Georges St-Pierre, in my opinion is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport – if not the best. His jiu-jitsu is brilliant, Muay Thai phenomenal, and his boxing & wrestling even better. I personally pick Georges to retain the belt, winning via submission. Regardless of who wins, we are surely in for a good fight.
The co-main event on the card is Rashad “Suga” Evans vs. Chael Sonnen. Both fighters in question are phenomenal athletes, and both are extremely experienced in MMA. Evans’ current record is 23-3-1, while Sonnen’s is 29-13-1. Evans has a KO/TKO ratio of 26%, while Sonnens’ is up at 28% – pretty impressive from both of these men. Both of their stats on Submission is around about the same, and their decision percentage is too. Rashad Evans has some excellent BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) skills, and has put it to good use in his fights; however, his boxing and wrestling are also exceptional. Sonenn is well known in the octagon for his use of wrestling, and has been NCAA division 1 All-American wrestler. However, he also is known to be handy with his boxing skills. Overall, I think both fighters are fairly evenly matched, and this should be a fun fight to watch. For this fight, I picked Chael Sonnen to come out with a victory over Rashad Evans with a decision victory. Both fighters are pretty evenly matched, and could go either way – but I just like Sonnen a little better on this one.
Next up on the card is Rory “Ares” MacDonald vs. Robbie “Ruthless” Lawler. Rory’s record is very good; 15-1 currently, and he is well known for his striking ability. However, MacDonald is also known for his ability to submit even the toughest of fighters (e.g Mike Guymon at UFC Fight Night 20). MacDonald’s striking is brilliant, and his BJJ even better as he has beaten some of the best in the octagon including victories over characters like B.J Penn and Nate Diaz. Robbie Lawler presents no easy challenge for the young Canadian stand-out, and I believe could come out with a victory over Rory. Lawler is well known throughout the sport for his impeccable boxing and kickboxing, putting this to use allowing him victory in 18 out of his 21 victories via knockout. However, where MacDonald’s submission ability has been exceptional, throughout his MMA record, Robbie seems to have a weakness to submissions losing 5 of his 9 losses via submission. I believe this is where Robbie’s weakness lies, and the aspect of his game that Rory should be focusing on to come out on top. Robbie has beaten some well known fighters in MMA such as Frank Trigg, Falaniko Vitale and Josh Koscheck. For this fight, I decided to have pick Rory “Ares” MacDonald to win via an early Submission. I chose this for Rory’s exceptional submission skills, and Robbie’s weakness to this aspect of the game.
The next fight at UFC 167 is Josh Koshcheck vs. Tyron “The Chosen one” Woodley. First and foremost, Josh Koscheck is renowned in MMA for his ability to put on a good fight. Koscheck is known for his pure athleticism, he’s also a former NCAA wrestling champ. Kos’ MMA career has been mediocre (in my opinion at least), retaining a record of 19 wins, 7 losses; although, this does not mean to say he isn’t a great fighter, and a tough opponent. Woodley is a fantastic fighter who knows how to throw a punch or two, and has exceptional wrestling ability. “The Chosen One” is seen as being very explosive, often bringing massive power & speed out of nowhere. His MMA record is 11-2, defeating Jay Hieron and Nate Marquardt. Woodley is relatively new to the UFC, coming from Strikeforce where he held a record of 8 victories, 1 loss. On Woodley’s debut to the UFC he was put in the octagon to face Jay Hieron, from which he took home a victory; however, at UFC 161, he would lose to Jake Shields. For this fight, I have Tyron “The Chosen one” Woodley to be victorious over Josh Koshcheck via a 1st round Submission.
Finally, it’s Tim Elliot vs. Ali “Puncher” Bagautinov. Not really much to say about this fight aside from noting that Elliot is known for his aggressiveness, and his technique to constantly push forward his opponent, often intimidating them to allow Elliot to come out victorious. I picked Tim Elliot to win via submission over Ali Bagautinov.
Overall, I believe we’re in for a night of great fights and believe there’s gonna be some fantastic moments at UFC 167.
You can watch UFC 167 on Nov. 16th Live via Pay-Per-View.
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