UFC 167: Preliminary Card Predictions
The UFC is holding its 20th anniversary show with an absolutely stacked UFC 167 card. It has been preceded by a tour and many other activities, as the UFC has pulled out all of the stops.
The card is headlined by the greatest welterweight of all time taking on a powerhouse wrestler and striker. That of course is the fight between Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks.
Also on the card is Chael Sonnen, former light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans, St. Pierre teammate Rory MacDonald and TUF original Josh Koscheck. With all that, you cannot miss this pay-per-view.
Before that, let's take a look at the stacked prelims and make some predictions.
Cody Donovan vs. Gian Villante
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The card kicks off on Facebook, as light heavyweight Strikeforce vet Gian Villante fills in on late notice against Cody Donovan. Villante steps in for Robert Drysdale, who was flagged on a pre-fight drug test for elevated testosterone.
Villante is a former football player with high school wrestling credentials and a solid kickboxing foundation. He is athletic and strong, which is how he bulls his way to victories.
He went 3-2 in Strikeforce before moving to the UFC. He fell to Ovince St. Preux in his debut by technical decision after the bout was stopped due to an eye poke. This is likely a win-or-go-home situation for him.
Donovan is a top-game grappler who holds a jiu-jitsu black belt under Nate Marquardt. He has good ground-and-pound to go with his underrated submission ability.
He is 1-1 under the UFC banner, slamming Nick Penner in his Fight of the Night debut before getting blitzed by Ovince St. Preux in his latest fight.
All three of Donovan's losses have come via knockout. Villante is a banger and should use his aggressiveness to earn a stoppage here.
Prediction: Villante def. Donovan via TKO
Sergio Pettis vs. Will Campuzano
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The brother of UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis is set to make his UFC debut, as Sergio Pettis takes on late-replacement UFC vet Will Campuzano. The Mexican-American steps up for Vaughan Lee, who was scheduled to fight Pettis but bowed out due to injury.
Campuzano is set to make his second UFC run, as he was let go back in early 2011. Since then, he has dropped to flyweight and looked like a contender at that weight class.
Campuzano is a powerful striker with great boxing and solid knees. His recent wins over Jimmy Flick and Josh Sampo prove that, as well as show that Campuzano has improved greatly.
Pettis, though, is a super prospect that fans have been salivating over since hearing his name. The 20-year-old Roufusport product has a taekwondo background with flashy strikes, as well as a good ground game.
He is undefeated, beating notables such as Tom McKenna, Josh Robinson and James Porter. He is young, but he is seasoned from his years of combat sports experience.
Pettis is going to show off his skill and potential here, but Campuzano is skilled and tough. He has a chin of concrete, so he may make it to the judges but still not get the win.
Prediction: Pettis def. Campuzano via decision
Jason High vs. Anthony Lapsley
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A pair of grinders with underrated skills are set to do battle, as Bellator vet and UFC debutant Anthony Lapsley takes on Jason High.
High enters his third UFC fight in five months, re-entering the company after a stint in Strikeforce. The wrestler was submitted by Erick Silva before tapping out James Head with his signature guillotine choke.
Lapsley is a wrestler as well who makes his UFC debut on a four-fight surge. Most of his wins have come via submission, showing that he would best be equipped to shoot a takedown and search for a tapout.
High is a great wrestler, but he can counterwrestle Lapsley as well. His best defense is a guillotine choke that has put away men such as Head, Nate Moore and Rudy Bears.
That will happen, spoiling Lapsley's debut.
Prediction: High def. Lapsley via submission
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Erik Perez vs. Edwin Figueroa
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A man vital to the UFC's push into Mexico is up next, as Erik Perez meets a man in desperate need of a win in Edwin Figueroa.
Perez is a Greg Jackson disciple who took the UFC by storm in his first three bouts. He finished John Albert, Ken Stone and Byron Bloodworth before he was finally derailed in a close bout against Takeya Mizugaki.
Figueroa has been an exciting addition to the UFC but has not been the most successful fighter. The striker is 2-3 with the company, but one of his wins came because of a two-point deduction against Alex Caceres. Plus, he is on a two-fight skid.
This is a rebound bout for Perez, whom the UFC is obviously interested in keeping in its ranks. He should do that and hand Figueroa his walking papers, earning a finish for the effort.
Prediction: Perez def. Figueroa via TKO
Brian Ebersole vs. Rick Story
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The welterweights are set to meet next, as the master of the "hairrow" Brian Ebersole returns from a long layoff against Rick Story.
Ebersole took the UFC by storm out of the gate, as the unorthodox fighter rattled off wins over Chris Lytle, Dennis Hallman, Claude Patrick and T.J. Waldburger. He slipped up in his last fight, however, as James Head took a close decision from him.
The Eastern Illinois wrestling product can do some damage on the ground, but scouting reports indicate that he is not afraid to use obscure techniques such as the cartwheel kick. We will see if he can return to the win column here or if he will stay in the loss column.
Story has been erratically inconsistent since gaining his biggest win over Thiago Alves in 2011. He is 2-4 in that time, getting dominated by guys such as Demain Maia and Charlie Brenneman.
This will be a bout of wrestler against wrestler, so expect it to turn into a brawl. Story is the more refined striker, so he should be able to eek out a decision.
Prediction: Story def. Ebersole via decision
Ed Herman vs. Thales Leites
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The middleweights are up next, as "Short Fuse" Ed Herman meets Thales Leites in an intriguing affair. Leites takes this fight on late notice, as Rafael Natal was Herman's original opponent before taking a main event spot at UFC Fight for the Troops.
Herman is well-rounded, but he has proven in the past that he is a submission fighter. He is 1-1 (one no-contest) in his last three, beating Trevor Smith in a brawl, falling via kimura to Ronaldo Souza and losing to Jake Shields, before it was overturned to a no-contest following a failed drug test by Shields.
Leites is a lot like the men Herman has recently lost to, which plays in well to him. He made a triumphant return to the UFC in his latest fight, where he grounded and dominated Tom Watson in his native Brazil.
Leites can handle himself on the feet, but he is going to drag Herman to the ground. From there, expect him to smother and tire out Herman before securing a tapout.
Prediction: Leites def. Herman via submission
Donald Cerrone vs. Evan Dunham
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The main attraction of the UFC 167 prelims comes in the lightweight division, as the ultra-busy Donald Cerrone meets Evan Dunham with a ton on the line. Of course, both men are at the top end of the division, but either fighter is a threat to fall to the midcard or worse with another loss here.
Cerrone has split personalities in the cage, as he can either look like the best lightweight in the world or a guy who is not sure how to fight. He has been in the UFC for about two-and-a-half years and already competed in 10 bouts.
He is a Muay Thai stylist with great kicks and underrated power. He has good wrestling and great submission skills, though he would be wise to stay off the ground with Dunham.
Dunham is a BJJ black belt with underrated striking to compliment it. After bursting out of the gate, he has gone 3-4 in his last seven, losing against top guys like Rafael dos Anjos, T.J. Grant and Melvin Guillard.
If the killer Donald Cerrone shows up, Dunham could be in trouble. However, there have been instances such as the dos Anjos and Nate Diaz fights where Cerrone has looked very vulnerable.
Fortunately for Cerrone, Dunham is a good stylistic matchup. He should be able to take this one and get back in the win column.
Prediction: Cerrone def. Dunham via decision
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