UFC 167 Results: Highlighting Top Preliminary Performances in Las Vegas

UFC 167 not only featured a main card stacked with big names, but it provided plenty of impressive performances before the pay-per-view action got started in Las Vegas. 

Though there was only one finish on the Fox Sports 1 prelims and just one more on the Facebook prelims, that doesn't mean that a few fighters didn't prove they deserve a bump up in competition. Erik Perez, Rick Story and Donald Cerrone all turned in performances that should have them trending upward, as they look to take the next step in their careers. 

Note: All statistics via FightMetric unless otherwise noted. 

Perez Puts on Grappling Clinic Against Figueroa

Erik Perez had a nice opportunity to make a statement in the leadoff fight of the Fox Sports 1 prelims, and he didn't disappoint. The 23-year-old Mexican got back into the win column with a unanimous decision victory over Edwin Figueroa after losing to Takeya Mizugaki in August.

Though Perez wasn't able to get the finish, he dominated this fight about as thoroughly as one could hope for. He landed at least two takedowns in every single round and ended up with seven total, as Figueroa had no chance once Perez decided to take the fight to the mat.

As one might expect, Perez's dominance in the grappling department led to a strong discrepancy in the striking department, too. The victor landed 50 significant strikes to Figueroa's 18 and was in constant control of the fight. 

Coming off of a loss just three months ago probably prevents Perez from making too big of a jump in his next bout, but his chops on the ground makes him a young fighter to watch. 

Story Continues to Show Maddening Promise Against Brian Ebersole

Rick Story is a classic Jekyll and Hyde fighter. When he's on point, he's the guy that beat Thiago Alves and Johny Hendricks. When he's off, he's the guy that lost to Mike Pyle and Demian Maia. Fortunately for him, he was the latter on Saturday. 

Story took on an opponent in Brian Ebersole, who has been proven to be a dangerous fighter, and made beating him look easy. He built a solid lead on the scorecards from the beginning and swept all three rounds. 

As Kenny Florian noted, it wasn't just Story's typical brilliance in the grappling department that earned him the nod, it was his striking:

"

Impressive performance from @Rick_Story Beautiful combos mixed in with heavy leg kicks & left hands. #UFC167

— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) November 17, 2013"

Story has been around for a long time, so this win isn't exactly career-defining, but it does mean that Story should stick around for at least a few more fights. 

Donald Cerrone Also Reminds Fans of His Potential

Donald Cerrone was in dangerous territory coming into his fight against Evan Dunham at an abysmal 1-2 in his last three fights. However, as Matt Erickson of MMAJunkie pointed out, it was Cerrone's return to his submission game that earned him a huge win in Vegas:

"

That was Cerrone's first submission in more than two years, since stopping Dennis Siver at UFC 137.

— Matt Erickson (@MMAjunkieMatt) November 17, 2013"

Cerrone still displayed his typical penchant for good, clean kickboxing in the standup department, but it's his return to his jiu-jitsu roots that offers hope he can reach the level of contender again. He has 14 career victories there and has the ability to be a threat to just about anyone on the ground when that becomes his focus.