Taylor Hoysradt, Staff Writer
In the aftermath of the legendary fights that took place at UFC 166, the UFC keeps on churning forward with UFC 167, which will take place on November 16, in Las Vegas. The main event is set to be a highly entertaining bout between the one, the only, the undisputed Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre defending his belt against number one contender Johny “Big Rigg” Hendricks. St. Pierre is easily one of the greatest fighters in the sport, only losing twice in his MMA career. Hendricks has also had a very successful campaign so far, only losing once in 16 fights. Hendricks has the edge when it comes to knockout power and striking, but St-Pierre is a legend when it comes to throwing precise strikes that wear down an opponent. Both fighters are great wrestlers, but I have to give a slight advantage to GSP due to intangibles. Hendricks will be St-Pierre’s toughest opponent yet because of his steel chin and his ability to fight efficiently on the ground and on his feet. While I would feel comfortable picking Hendricks in this fight, I have to go with GSP because we have seen him find a way against eight straight contenders of all different fighting styles. Look for a submission win from GSP.
There have been rumors circulating about St-Pierre possibly retiring after his head trainer stated that he was unsure if the champ would still have the motivation to fight after Hendricks. Recently, St-Pierre put those rumors to rest saying that he’s “not impressed with your retirement rumors” and that his trainer was “taken out of context.” There is no way he will hang up the gloves whether he is the champion or not, especially with Anderson Silva in his sights.
The Co-Main Event at UFC 167 is a matchup that a lot of UFC fans have been waiting for, as “Suga” Rashad Evans will be taking on the perennial motor mouth Chael Sonnen. Sonnen is coming off an impressive win against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Evans also defeated three-time world champion Dan Henderson in his last bout. Neither fighter is known for his striking power, as most of their fights end by way of submission or decision, so it would be a shock if this fight ended with strikes. Meanwhile Sonnen has a clear advantage in the ground game, which has allowed him to win nearly 60 percent of his fights by submission. I’m going to take the upset here and pick Chael Sonnen because of his “ground-and-pound” style ,and he will be the more motivated fighter because a win against Evans will probably move Chael up to the top of his division. Look for everyone’s favorite trash-talker to win by decision.
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