Chael Sonnen and Rashad Evans are set for battle in one of the featured bouts at UFC 167. The veteran American fighters are both looking for a marquee victory to revitalize their title hopes and prove they have plenty of success left in the tank.
The fight between Sonnen and Evans isn’t the draw it could have been a couple years ago, but it’s one of the most evenly matched bouts on the card. It will co-headline the event alongside Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks.
Right now, Sonnen and Evans find themselves in similar situations. Both are coming off bounce-back victories following losing skids and are looking to build off that success.
Sonnen put together a strong performance against Michael Bisping early last year to earn a shot at the middleweight title. He was no match for Anderson Silva, however, and then was easily dispatched by Jon Jones in his return to the light heavyweight division.
Back in August, the Oregon native was able to rebound with a triumph over Mauricio Rua, which was crucial after he was unable to make serious inroads against the champions in his previous two fights.
As for Evans, a loss to the aforementioned Jones and then Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was concerning not only because the matches resulted in defeat, but also due to the fact he wasn’t showing the same level of competitiveness he did earlier in his career.
He came back to score a split-decision victory over Dan Henderson. While it was far from the most convincing win of his career, it was important nevertheless.
Now, the two veteran stars will face off in what should be a terrific measuring stick for both as they try to build off recent wins.
The biggest key to the fight will be the pace.
Sonnen wants to avoid letting the bout turn into a slugfest against the more well-rounded Evans. His best chance of picking up the victory will come if he’s able to dictate the fight on the mat, where he’s more comfortable and can avoid taking the big shots.
So his task will be finding a way early in each round to get “Suga” off his feet, turning the bout into a virtual wrestling match in the process.
Although Evans is capable of holding his own in that type of battle, he knows that’s where Sonnen is at his more comfortable. So his best option is using his combination of quickness and power to deliver a lot of rapid strikes to wear down his experienced foe.
If Sonnen is able to slow the pace, Evans must know ahead of time whether he wants to oblige and start grappling or if he would prefer to try to get off the ground and get back into positions where he can land bigger strikes. The latter is likely his best bet.
Ultimately, Evans holds the slight edge because he’s more prepared to handle whatever fight develops. But if Sonnen is able to dictate the bout early, he can put a lot of pressure on Evans to mount and comeback. That’s when Evans becomes less dangerous.
Prediction: Evans by decision
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