The 20-year anniversary event is finally here. UFC 167 has been built up and nobody can say this isn’t a great card. We get to see a long-awaited title fight at welterweight, along with a few rising stars at welterweight matching up with one another. Also who can forget the two polarizing light heavyweights going at it in the co main event. This card is still stacked from top to bottom, even when they had to move Frank Mir versus Alistair Overeem to UFC 169.

Preview: Five questions about UFC 167

As usual, I’ll be breaking down the main card into five questions. I’m joined by Thinesh John this time around to preview the card. Thinesh is the site’s correspondent from Asia and does an excellent job at previewing, along with recapping all MMA shows in Asia. He is the epitome of a dedicated MMA writer by always watching the sport and different promotions. I’m excited to have him here breaking down each fight.

1.Is this too much of a step up in competition for Ali Bagautinov going up against a top ten flyweight in Tim Elliot?

Strk: With the flyweight division being so wide open, this isn’t a major step up at all. Bagautinov has widely praised by many MMA analysts as someone who could be a force to be reckon with in the flyweight division. What he needs to do is make sure he keeps his emotions in check and doesn’t get wild early. Bagautinov is a powerful striker coming off a highlight reel knockout over Marcos Vinicius. He did get reckless at times, which is why I’m stressing that he needs to be cautious against a much better opponent. Elliot is well rounded and has shown that he can take advantage of his opponent’s faults.

Elliot will look for takedowns and controlling the pace. He’ll look to close the distance as much as possible, so Bagautinov doesn’t get comfortable on his feet. This should be an excellent opening fight for the historical pay-per-view. Once again, the UFC deserves praise for finally starting to highlight the flyweight division on pay-per-views. That is how you are going to give the flyweights more exposure and more fan support. John Dodson is a prime example of a fighter, who benefited from being on such a big stage at UFC 166.  This is a wide open division and Bagautinov is coming off an impressive victory. This is a great matchup for him against a proven veteran in Elliot.

John: Both fighters share similar records, but with Bagautinov’s open style of fighting and approach to his bouts, he could be easily capitalized on by a vet like Tim Elliot, who thrives on his opponent’s blunders. I don’t see this as a step up in competition for the Russian at all, given how open the UFC’s 125-lbs division is right now. Score a victory, and you may very well be a fight or two away from a title shot.

Elliot’s the sort of fighter that bides his time in his contests. With a solid background in wrestling and Muay Thai, the American is well-versed both on the mat and on his feet which makes him a slight favorite in my eyes. Nonetheless, Bagautinov is coming off an astounding knockout finish over recent Rebel FC signee, Marcos Vinicius, so it’s perhaps safe to say that momentum is on the 28-year-old’s side.

2. Both Josh Koscheck and Tyron Woodley have similar styles as excellent wrestlers with knockout power. Does either fighter have a clear advantage against one another?

Strk: They  seem to be mirror images of one another. A few years ago, Koscheck would have been the clear favorite. Now I’m not so sure, due to several injuries in the past few years and not looking as explosive as he once was. Everyone knows how explosive Woodley is, especially looking at his last knockout victory against Jay Hieron. I’m still surprised that he lost to Jake Shields in what was probably the worst judging decision of the year. You better believe that Woodley will be coming out swinging, after being hugged for most of his last fight.

If there is any clear advantage, I’d have to give it to Woodley’s speed and being more explosive. When you look at Koscheck’s past two fights, he tends to be predictable and doesn’t seem to be the same fighter who knocked out Matt Hughes. He looks slower, which could be because of the injuries. His standup has regressed, which has made reliant once again on his wrestling and that leads to him being predictable. He needs a win in any way possible because another loss here could lead to him being cut. He may be a recognizable name, but so was his teammate Jon Fitch. If there was any clear advantage, I’d have to give it to Woodley’s speed. If the fight stays standing, you’ll see Woodley start to get the upper hand and possibly finish Koscheck.

John: Both fighters have massive wrestling credentials to their credits but in terms of knockout power, I honestly believe Koscheck’s lost it. Even in his fight with Mike Pierce, he was lucky to have walked out with a split decision victory where many felt he actually lost. Yes, he stopped Matt Hughes, but since then, the former all-American stand-out has performed rather poorly. Perhaps age has caught up with the 35-year-old along with injuries that he had picked over the years or so but one thing is for certain: another loss here, and Koscheck may be future endeavored.

I’d choose Tyron Woodley in this one. He has improved by leaps and bounds since his early days in Strikeforce. And after he dropped a controversial split decision defeat to Jake Shields in his previous outing where proceedings were largely contested on the canvas, he’ll be more determined than ever to finish this fight. Speed, technique, aggression and explosiveness will firmly be in the corner of Woodley who is heavily favored, in my opinion, to gain a stoppage victory in this one.

3. Do you think Robbie Lawler poses a legitimate threat to Rory MacDonald or will he falter similar to Jake Ellenberger?

Strk: I’m not sure why people are still questioning Robbie Lawler, due to his inconsistent past. Do these people realize that he should have never being fighting at middleweight? He is in the same mold as Hector Lombard, as an explosive striker who is just too small to defeat bigger middleweights who can grapple. This is the perfect weight class for him and we’ve seen how comfortable he looks. Everyone knows how dangerous Lawler is on his feet and never seems to be hesitant. He’s also not one-dimensional like Ellenberger tends to be.

That’s not me trying to say he’s going to destroy Rory MacDonald. This is an extremely difficult matchup, due to MacDonald’s reach and how accurate he is with his striking. What Lawler needs to avoid is getting frustrated and starting to get reckless. He has faced plenty of taller opponents in the past, but MacDonald is tall and can move quicker than any of those taller opponents. While you don’t want him to freeze like Ellenberger did, he can’t start throwing wild haymakers or head kicks because MacDonald is an excellent counter striker and has improved his wrestling. This is an excellent fight, which is somewhat falling under the radar for the past few months. I see Lawler as a legitimate threat, as a win here would seal his award as the comeback fighter of the year and potentially earning him the next title shot.

John: Robbie Lawler is in the same fold as the likes of War Machine and Rob Lisita among others. A charge forward, guns-blazing sort of fighter who strives to get finishes in his fights. But the question is, will this work against a taller, lengthier Rory MacDonald who pretty much uses his reach better than anyone else? Although Lawler has finally found a comfortable home at 170-lbs where he’s looked absolutely majestic, facing MacDonald will be a different challenge and a huge opportunity for him to prove his worth and skill. Then again, that would be easier said than done.

MacDonald is young, hungry and has already beaten grizzled vets likes BJ Penn. In his last bout with Jake Ellenberger, he picked the Reign MMA native apart with his reach and striking, and mind you Ellenberger is no slouch to the striking game having gone as far as working with the beasts at Mayweather Boxing Club. He’ll have to be wary and respectful of Lawler’s power though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I see a takedown or two from the 24-year-old to compliment his opponent’s knockout fitnesse.

This is a brilliant match-up where a win would do wonders for both men’s careers. Absolutely stoked for this one, where it’s got “something of the night” written all over it.

4. Can Rashad Evans finally finish a fight for the first time in over two years?

Strk: It has been frustrating to see Evans get labeled by some pundits as “overrated”. I didn’t know being 20-3-1 as a fighter can earn you that label. That being said, most people have been waiting for the Rashad Evans of old to come back. They are wondering what happened to the fighter, who knocked out Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin? Evans has so much power in his punches, but tends to get predictable and has poor timing. He did look very good against Dan Henderson though, despite not really rocking him at any point. His accuracy was better and obviously used his speed to his advantage as usual.

I’d like his odds here to finish Chael Sonnen because of the speed advantage. You won’t see Sonnen manhandle Evans like he did to Shogun Rua. This is a fight, where it’s hard to see how Sonnen can win in any way possible due to not having the wrestling advantage like he usually does. The wrestling aspect of the fight will likely be split, where neither fighter is going to have a clear advantage. Evans is a much better athlete and will be able to use his strength to get the advantage against the cage. That’s where will see Evans explode and finish the fight. Sonnen will be tough to finish, but Evans will eventually finish him off with ground and pound. The loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is long behind him. I’m expecting the continued resurgence in Evans’ career.

John: I’d figuratively award the wrestling advantage to Chael Sonnen whenever he’s scheduled to compete, but against a robust, strong and athletic Rashad Evans who hones credible and stellar wresting credentials himself, I honestly think this fight will be largely contested standing. Sonnen will look for the classic single-leg takedown, but I believe Evans will put his opponent through the sword with regular and effective sprawls, tied  with crisp and fast striking attacks. The Blackzilians native showcased good striking against Henderson, using speed as an advantage against him. That, I believe, will work against Sonnen as well.

A finish to this fight? Perhaps not. I can’t ever remember Sonnen being troubled from his opponent’s striking prowess. He’s been knocked out several times before but I don’t think he’s ever been dominated in pure striking exchanges. The Oregon wrestling stand-out’s constant pressure and push for takedowns might trouble Evans in the long run, but I believe the latter will have more in the tank to complete the fight and garner a victory come fight night.

5. How does Georges St. Pierre deal with Johny Hendricks’ power, from both a wrestling and striking standpoint?

Strk: St. Pierre needs to do what he always does, when it comes to the standup aspect of the fight. He has to stay elusive with constant head movement and change levels to throw off Hendricks like he does to all of his opponents. Then he’ll work his jab to go for either a leg kick or spinning back kick to the body. The one advantage he has against Hendricks on the feet has to be his wide array of different strikes. Even though Hendricks has the knockout power, he’s very predictable which is a common case for most wrestlers.St. Pierre constantly evolves, even though he still lacks power in his punches.

As for the wrestling aspect, it’ll come down to cardio as the fight goes on. The one glaring weakness I’ve noticed with Hendricks is that he tends to fade away in the third round. You look at his fights with Carlos Condit and Josh Koscheck, where he started off well and looked to possibly finish the fight early. Then by the third round, he looked to be going for the decision by mostly going for takedowns. If St. Pierre can get this fight to the championship rounds, that’ll work to his advantage. He just needs to stay unpredictable with his striking and not allowing Hendricks to back him into a corner.

Don’t expect to see him go straight in for the takedown because Hendricks will snuff every one of those attempts. He needs to mix up his striking before catching Hendricks off guard with a double leg takedown. That’s what he does best by making his opponents think that he’s actually going to get into a wild exchange with you, before realizing that he just put you on your back. This is a very intriguing fight, considering it’s the first time in a long time where St. Pierre won’t have the strength advantage.

John: For GSP , I think the one aspect that could probably trouble him striking wise is Hendricks’ southpaw stance and power left hand. GSP is known for throwing his japs which will work perfectly against orthodox guys, but against southpaws that leaves him open to the counter-left, if he’s not fast. The problem is, Hendricks doesn’t possess any ordinary left hand. He’s got legitimate knockout power.

While GSP has a large array of strikes from kicks to elbows and punches, he will have to rely in his combinations more than ever. Hendricks will be looking to land that dynamite of a left hand, which is why the Canadian will have to use more head movement and remain elusive. GSP’s methodical and analytical approach to fights will benefit him further. Don’t expect him to shoot for takedowns early on in the rounds. Given Hendricks’ tendency to tire in the third frames in the past, GSP will undoubtedly be making the most of the championship stanzas to take the fight to the mat, and give his opponent something to think about.

It’s a great match-up and I’m sure everybody’s going to be treated with a solid pro MMA contest.

Strk: You can expect this to be even more than just a pay-per-view event. I’m excited to see all the legends shown on the screen. I can’t wait to see Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Matt Hughes, and other legends spotlighted. They’ve done their part in making this into the phenomenon that we all love to watch today.  I’m honored and privileged to be writing about the most unique and unpredictable sport in the world today. This is going to be an historic event on Saturday and another night, where we all are proud to be MMA fans.

You can follow Thinesh & I at @Allen_Strk and @ThineshJohnMMA