UFC 167 Fight Card: Complete Preview for Main Card Fighters

While Georges St-Pierre is arguably the greatest welterweight fighter in UFC history, he will face what is likely his toughest test ever at UFC 167 as he will be taking on Johny Hendricks. But that's not the only fight to watch for on Saturday night.

There will be five fights on the main card, and each one has a different feel to it. Perhaps the most interesting fight would be between Chael Sonnen and Rashad Evans, which is bound to feature a very interesting finish.

With five exciting fights lined up, let's go ahead and take a preview at each one, breaking down both fighters and looking at what they've been doing heading into their respective bouts.

  

Tim Elliott vs. Ali Bagautinov

The UFC has decided to start featuring flyweights on the main card, and that will certainly lead to some different fights than we're used to seeing, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Neither of them are huge names, but Tim Elliott and Ali Bagautinov are some of the best flyweights out there.

Elliott comes in with a solid 10-3-1 record with a balanced attack. He's won his last two fights over Louis Gaudinot and Jared Papazian, winning both by unanimous decision. He is very active in the Octagon and almost always seems to be moving, and more often than not it's toward his opponent.

Bagautinov has been very successful as well, going 11-2-0. Five of his wins have come by knockout, with another four coming by submission. He shows off the ability to make things happen both standing up and on the ground thanks to his great all-around game, which will certainly make this an interesting fight.

Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron Woodley

If this fight was a couple of years ago, it probably would have been a more interesting match with a lot of hype. Instead, the two fighters appear to be heading in opposite directions.

After a nice start to his MMA career, things are starting to slow down for Josh Koscheck, who is 19-7 and coming off of two straight losses. He's a former college wrestler but at 35 years old, his career is starting to come to an end.

Meanwhile, Tyron Woodley has lost two of his last three fights, but he's still been a solid fighter with an impressive 11-2 record. He's a very explosive fighter that does a great job on the ground and defends 94 percent of attempted takedowns according to FightMetric.com.

Both fighters will be looking to play on their strengths. We will just have to see which one can gain the upper hand.

Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler

Things will start getting more interesting when this fight gets started.

Rory MacDonald might very well be one of the hottest welterweight fighters in the UFC right now. He's 15-1 with six coming by knockout and another six by submission. He's won his last five fights, with his last loss coming all the way back in June of 2010. He has a strong combination of deadly striking and an ability to force opponents to tap out, making him a versatile fighter.

Ares will be going against the veteran Robbie Lawler, who is 31 years old and has fought in 31 fights over his career. He's gone 21-9 with one no contest and is coming off of two straight wins over Bobby Voelker and Koscheck.

While MacDonald is the favorite, Lawler has a chance to prove that he's still a top-tier welterweight, even at 31 years old, but it certainly won't be easy.

Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen

There are a lot of great strikers in MMA, but it's always entertaining to see a fight between two great wrestlers like Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen.

Evans was finally able to turn things around after two straight losses with a big split decision win over Dan Henderson.  He's still a great fighter at 34 years old with a 19-3-1 record, but those two recent losses have certainly hurt his resume.  

Still, Suga is a great wrestler that excels with takedowns, both attempting and defending them.  He is incredibly strong on the ground, and tends to drag fights out when needed to pull out wins.

Another great wrestler, Sonnen got a nice win over Mauricio Rua thanks to a first-round submission back in August. It was certainly a much-needed win, as he had lost his last two to Anderson Silva and Jon Jones. Overall, he has a 29-13-1 record and is 36 years old.

Both fighters will be looking for an advantage on the ground, and I couldn't really think of two more entertaining wrestlers to watch than these two.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks

With one of the greatest welterweight fighters ever going up against his toughest test, it's safe to say that this welterweight title fight has everything it needs to be a potential classic.

Few fighters have had the consistent success that St-Pierre has had. He won the welterweight championship back in April of 2008, and he's defended it eight consecutive times.

The last time Rush lost? It was back in April of 2007 against Matt Serra. His 24-2 record is one of the best in UFC, and he has a chance to make it 25 wins on Saturday. His great all-around game and balanced attack make him a truly great fighter in all aspects of the game.

However, like we said earlier, taking down Hendricks will be no easy task. Bigg Rigg has been simply unstoppable recently with a 15-1 record. His only loss was at the end of 2010 against Rick Story, losing by unanimous decision.

While St-Pierre tends to focus on a balanced attack, Hendricks is a bit more one dimensional. However, that one dimension is a good one, as he's a truly elite wrestler. That will be put to the test against Rush, who successfully defends against 86 percent of takedowns according to FightMetric.com.

With a loaded night of fights, UFC 167 will certainly end on a high note with what is bound to be a terrific bout between these two fighters.