The end of 2013 continues to be absolutely stacked, as UFC 167 furthers the championship parade in current times. This time, the welterweight title is up for grabs as long-time champ Georges St. Pierre defends his belt against the hard-hitting Johny Hendricks.
Also on the card is a light heavyweight showdown between friends, as Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen take to the cage. Both men are anchors/analysts on UFC Tonight, which leads to an interesting dynamic leading in.
The card is absolutely stacked from top to bottom. Here are the predictions for the bonuses come UFC 167.
Submission of the Night: Rory MacDonald
Rory MacDonald was heavily criticized in his last performance against Jake Ellenberger for being safe and not looking for the kill. That could be because of the offensive wrestling and powerful hands that the American possesses.
Coming into UFC 167, MacDonald is likely going to be fighting with a chip on his shoulder. In the eyes of some, his opponent, Robbie Lawler, is a step down from Ellenberger against MacDonald because Lawler will be aggressive in looking to knock his head off.
Lawler‘s biggest weakness is when he is on his back with a skilled grappler on top of him. MacDonald, though he hasn’t had a submission in a while, has the takedown chops and submission skills to make Lawler another victim.
It may earn him a little more walking-around money for his tacky suits and hair style.
Also in the running: Erik Perez, Jason High
Knockout of the Night: Donald Cerrone
Although it may not appear this way, I don’t see UFC 167 having too many knockouts. There are some bangers and tough guys on the card, but they are matched up against guys with similar styles who will be ready for that.
This may seem like a long shot given the circumstances, but Donald Cerrone, if he shows up as killer Donald Cerrone, could get the Knockout of the Night check against Evan Dunham.
Dunham is a good striker and has a good chin, but Cerrone is more technical and just powerful. His aggressiveness might open up opportunities for him to smash Dunham‘s chin and put him down.
Look what Melvin Guillard did to Dunham. Now look at what Cerrone did to Guillard. It kind of makes more sense when looking at it that way.
Also in the running: Sergio Pettis, Gian Villante
Fight of the Night: Tim Elliott vs. Ali Bagautinov
I am really happy that lately the UFC has been placing flyweight bouts on the main card. At UFC 166, John Dodson and Darrell Montague got the nod to kick off the card and now for UFC 167, Tim Elliott and Ali Bagautinov will kick things off.
Elliott and Bagautinov are both hard-headed sluggers with complete games. While Bagautinov is a sambo fighter with powerful strikes, Elliott is a wrestler with equally devastating power.
These guys are both in great shape and quick. To blink during this fight means you may miss multiple combos and ferocious exchanges.
When it’s all said and done, they will have the best, most entertaining fight of the night. It has some serious competition, but it should work out well for both of them.
Also in the running: Georges St. Pierre-Johny Hendricks, Donald Cerrone-Evan Dunham, Sergio Pettis-Will Campuzano
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