In what should be the most interesting UFC pay-per-view in a long time, the light heavyweight battle between Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen will be the co-main event for Saturday’s UFC 167.
While this marquee battle would highlight almost any other PPV, the UFC welterweight championship fight between Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks has stolen most of the headlines leading up to the event.
Despite not headlining UFC 167, Evans vs. Sonnen still has the interest of hardcore and casual MMA fans piqued, and that will result in a spike in interest for this bout.
All stats and information via UFC.com.
All betting info courtesy of Bovada.
“C” denotes champion.
Evans vs. Sonnen Co-Main Event Preview and Prediction
The title fight between St-Pierre and Hendricks has been the focus for many MMA fans, but there is no discounting how interesting the potential slugfest between Evans and Sonnen could become.
As two of the more experienced fighters in the UFC, these veterans know exactly what it takes to win in the biggest matchups. While each has earned hard-fought victories over legends in the sport, tough losses have piled up recently and hindered the chances for each man to earn another title shot.
Evans was on the fast track back to light heavyweight championship glory, but he lost to champion Jon Jones in his last title fight. As hard as the loss was to swallow, Evans was also defeated in his follow-up fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
“Suga” was able to beat Dan Henderson in his last bout, but he must beat Sonnen decisively if he wants to prove to Dana White and UFC officials that he deserves another title shot.
Just as Evans is looking for redemption, the same can be said about his challenger.
Sonnen may have won against Maurício Rua in his last fight, but he was coming off two tough losses to champions Anderson Silva and Jon Jones. The 36-year-old understands that his opportunities are running low, so he will be looking to end his fight with Evans in definitive fashion.
Both men are excellent wrestlers that possess the ability to knock out their opponents—the skill sets of these fighters are hauntingly similar—but it is Sonnen‘s submission ability that will make the ultimate difference.
While Evans is talented, he will get caught in one of Sonnen’s traps and lose via submission.
Predicted Winner: Chael Sonnen via submission.
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