UFC 167 is headlined by the anticipated welterweight title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks Saturday in Las Vegas.
GSP has won 11 in a row, but many believe Hendricks will end the Canadian’s reign atop the 170-pound division.
Outside of the main event, there are four excellent fights fans can look forward to on the pay-per-view portion of the card.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch UFC 167 preliminary fights on Sportsnet 360 Saturday starting at 8 p.m. EST, watch UFC Central’s UFC 167 pre-fight show at 7 p.m. EST on Sportsnet ONE and catch three bonus prelims on sportsnet.ca at 6:30 p.m. EST
Before all the action begins, find out who UFC Central host “Showdown Joe” Ferraro, Sportsnet.ca and Sportsnet Magazine staff writer Mike Johnston, Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s Geoff Rohoman, and sportsnet.ca contributors E. Spencer Kyte and Adam Martin think will win the main card bouts then have your say by voting.
Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks
Showdown: GSP. Georges has been there, done that. Wash, rinse and repeat, except this time, we could see a finish; by Georges, in the championship rounds.
Johnston: GSP by submission. We’ve never seen Hendricks on his back but we will in this bout and the champ will remind people just how many sublime tools he possesses with a late submission after rocking Hendricks.
Rohoman: GSP by decision. Everyone is talking about Hendricks’s punching power and his wrestling ability, and sure, GSP probably hasn’t faced an opponent quite like Hendricks before… but we hear that same argument every time. Georges will take the wrestler down based on his incredible timing as Johny tries to swing and will grind out a decision
Kyte: GSP by decision. Until someone beats him, how do you pick against GSP? Hendricks will be hunting the left, St-Pierre will hit level changes, and grind out another dominant win.
Martin: Hendricks by KO. Hendricks is going to throw his patented left hand right down the pipe and knock GSP out cold in the first round. GSP won’t know what hit him.
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Chael Sonnen vs. Rashad Evans
Showdown: Evans. My brain says Rashad. My gut says Chael. It’s a tough fight to call, but I’ll take Evans early. That is, unless Chael can take it to the third. Then, all bets are off.
Johnston: Evans by TKO. Chael’s aggression could work against him as I see Rashad landing a solid knee or punch to the body at some point that puts Sonnen down.
Rohoman: Evans by decision. Sonnen looked great against Shogun and Rashad has looked like a shell of his former self recently, including his loss to Lil Nog and a split decision win over Dan Henderson. This will be a less-than-exciting fight with Sonnen trying to dirty box and Rashad using head movement but not really engaging.
Kyte: Sonnen by decision. We’ve never had to question the drive of Chael P. Sonnen, and with Evans having been gun-shy for his last couple fights, “The Bad Guy” wrestles away a victory.
Martin: Evans by decision. Evans and Sonnen will wrestle each other up against the fence but ultimately Evans is the sharper striker of the two and will win a unanimous decision.
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Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler
Showdown: MacDonald. I don’t believe Rory will waste anytime taking Robbie down. Look for the Canadian to ground and pound Lawler early and often.
Johnston: MacDonald by submission. Rory needs to be cautious on the feet but he can be aggressive on the ground and Lawler will be vulnerable to armbars and arm-triangles.
Rohoman: MacDonald by TKO. Rory is going to put on a clinic against Lawler, who has, perhaps, the heaviest hands in the 170-pound division. He is going to stick and move, use takedowns and ground-and-pound his way to a second-round win.
Kyte: MacDonald by submission. This will be the fight where we see another wrinkle of MacDonald’s game. Standing with Lawler is risky business, so “Ares” will put him on the floor and find a finish.
Martin: Lawler by KO. Lawler is going to go at MacDonald like no one other than Carlos Condit has and he’s going to win the fight with a first-round KO that will shock a lot of people.
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Tyron Woodley vs. Josh Koscheck
Showdown: Woodley. Perhaps the years in MMA have caught up with Kos. I give the edge to Tyron, in fact, I won’t be surprised if he scores a late TKO.
Johnston: Woodley by KO. The Woodley that lost a boring decision to Jake Shields was an anomaly. No knock against Koscheck, but Woodley will shine and will earn a title show by the end of 2014.
Rohoman: Woodley by TKO. I’m interested to see how Koscheck looks in this fight. Those TUF 1 members are starting to retire and reach over-the-hill status. Kos would be smart to wrestle Woodley to stay away from his hands, but I don’t think that happens and I think Woodley catches him in the first.
Kyte: Woodley by TKO. After two fights in the UFC, we’ve seen Woodley at his best and his worst. My guess is he comes out throwing heat, and catching Koscheck with something nasty.
Martin: Woodey by KO. Woodley and Koscheck are similar in many aspects but Woodley is far fresher in terms of fight years and I see him exposing Koscheck’s fading chin with a KO victory.
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Timothy Elliott vs. Ali Bagautinov
Showdown: Flip a coin when it comes to Tim and Ali. They both hit hard and either guy can end it in the blink of an eye.
Johnston: Bagautinov by decision. Elliott is damn fun to watch, but I’ll take the underdog here to win an exciting 15-minute tilt.
Rohoman: Elliott by decision. I think Elliott is the better overall fighter. Ali can definitely take a punch, but I think Elliott is better in all aspects of MMA and will win a decision
Kyte: Elliott by decision. His pace and varied striking will be too much for Bagautinov to deal with for 15 minutes.
Martin: Elliott by decision. Elliott’s pace, size, and wrestling will be far too much for Bagautinov to handle, and he’ll end up grinding out a decision in the first main card bout of the night.
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