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Etihad Arena | Yas Island, Abu Dhabi – UFC 267 is a stacked card from front to back and I don’t think these money lines do justice for how close all of these main card fights will be. Also, this massive event - that will have millions of eyeballs sitting on the edge of their seats - kicks off at an earlier than normal timeslot as it is being broadcasted from the other side of the world.
Light-Heavyweight Title
-300 Jan Blachowicz (28-8: 8 KOs, 9 SUBs) vs. +230 Glover Teixeira (28-6: 18 KOs, 9 SUBs)
Both on five-win streaks, Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira are two long-time veterans that have fought tooth and nail to be in this position. Blachowicz, with his powerful kickboxing, took advantage of Jon Jones vacating the title by knocking out Dom Reyes at UFC 253. Speaking of Jones, Teixeira, the Brazilian, clawed his way back to title contention after having a crack at Jones back in 2014. It’s truly remarkable the belief these guys have in themselves to make this kind of progress this late in their careers. Strategically speaking, Teixeira is prepared to make this fight a war and as such, Teixeira brought in top of the heap sparring partners like former kickboxing champion Alex Pereira. For Blachowicz, he likes to keep things simple: his opponent strikes, he brings in strikers, his opponent grapples, he strengthens his grappling defense. I think Blachowicz is getting better with each fight while Teixeira is capitalizing on catching his recent opponents at a low point in their career. I think the Brazilian veteran can make it a competitive fight for a round or two but ultimately, Blachowicz will land big power punches to close the night.
Selection: Blachowicz via first-round Knockout (+400)
Interim Bantamweight Title
-250 Petr Yan (15-2: 7 KOs, 1 SUB) vs. +195 Cory Sandhagen (14-3: 6 KOs, 3 SUBs)
One of the most hyped rematches between UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan was supposed to be in this slot, but nagging injuries have prevented Sterling from making the trip to Abu Dhabi. Instead, Cory Sandhagen is stepping in for a chance to win UFC gold and wipe away all doubt following his razor-thin loss to T.J. Dillashaw just a few months ago. Sandhagen possesses a wide arsenal of devastating strikes on top of his slick grappling, but Yan believes he is the next big thing in the UFC. Yan has some of the sharpest kickboxing along with a killer mentality when he senses his opponent is fading. Had Yan not thrown an illegal knee, he would have been the current UFC bantamweight champion. I think in these types of scenarios, when a fighter (Sandhagen) is stepping in on short notice, it allows a sense of relaxation as the pressure is on the fighter with the full camp (Yan). I think Sandhagen gets knocked around early in the fight, but wakes up midway through the contest to turn it up to a level we haven’t seen before. I also think Sandhagen’s reach and loopy heavy hands will land and slow down the Russian machine to rip away a decision victory.
Selection: Sandhagen via Decision (+400)
-700 Islam Makhachev (20-1: 3 KOs, 9 SUBs) vs. +460 Dan Hooker (21-10: 10 KOs, 7 SUBs)
When you represent AKA Kickboxing Academy like Islam Makhachev does, you better be damn good. Names like Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold, Daniel Cormier, Khabib Nurmagomedov have all been previous torch bearers for AKA. Islam Makhachev, who’s trained along Khabib since his teenage years, has an immense amount of pressure on his shoulders at UFC 267 to go out and not only win, but dominate Dan Hooker. It goes without saying that Makhachev is the superior grappler and should be able to dictate the fight in that department. The only hope Dan Hooker has is if Makhachev tests the waters of kickboxing - again. For some odd reason, Makhachev has this notion that he must learn kickboxing through trial by fire. If Makhachev ignores his biggest tool early on (grappling), he could be in for a long night. Hooker is not a fighter to mess with on the feet, and Makhachev is no Michael Chandler. It needs to be takedown after takedown from team Islam. I think Makhachev won’t mess with fire and wrestle early and often.
Selection: Makhachev via Decision (+104)
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-325 Alexander Volkov (33-9: 22 KOs, 3 SUBs) vs. +240 Marcin Tybura (22-6: 9 KOs, 6 SUBs)
Volkov has faced much greater competition than Tybura and will look to get back into the win column with one of his signature point-style decision victories. Tybura, who’s won five straight, has power and is red hot. However, Volkov has faced many fighters like him before and, more often than not, can stay on the outside of the danger zone and land long leg kicks and jabs until his opponent is demoralized and exhausted. Tybura may also try to wrestle, but doesn’t have the grappling credentials of some of the fighters that Volkov has faced. It may be a snoozer, but I expect the tall Russian to incorporate a disciplined game plan and get his hand raised.
Selection: Volkov via Decision (+205)
-550 Khamzat Chimaev (9-0: 6 KOs, 3 SUBs) vs. +380 Li Jingliang (18-6: 9 KOs, 4 SUBs)
The hits roll on for UFC 267 as we get another treat with the return of highly-touted prospect Khamzat Chimaev going against a fired up Li Jingliang. Not many fighters have signed the contract when Khamzat Chimaev’s name comes across the ticket as the Chechnyan is a bit unknown. In his three UFC fights, he set the world on fire: taking fights just 10 days apart, setting records for output and then cleaning the clock of a formidable opponent in just 17-seconds. Then COVID hit. Chimaev is such a beast that even though he was hit extremely hard by the virus, he tried to push through protocol and take a fight against a Top-5 ranked welterweight … wow! Fortunately, Dana White stepped in and had the promising fighter sit out for months until he was 100%. This fight seems to be a crossroads fight for Chimaev. Was he a flash in the pan or is he a real force in an already stacked division? I think this fight’s result will be somewhere in between; I see Chimaev winning, but Jingliang is no joke and will not go down easy. I think cage rust could affect Chimaev, but his inner will should push him to a grind-it-out decision victory.
Selection: Chimaev via Decision (+275)
The left hand of @Volkan_Oezdemir is 𝑳𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑳 👊
— UFC (@ufc) October 29, 2021
[ #UFC267 | Tomorrow | 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙨 10:30𝙖𝙢𝙀𝙏 | 𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙙 2𝙥𝙢𝙀𝙏 | LIVE on ESPN+ | @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/OsbibfQwE8
-350 Magomed Ankalaev (15-1: 8 KOs) vs. +260 Volkan Oezdemir (17-5: 12 KOs, 2 SUBs)
Similarly to the previously previewed Volkov vs. Tybura bout, Ankalaev going against Oezdemir has the same feel stylistically. Oezdemir, a former title challenger, has faced better competition but Ankalaev is on a long win streak. Oezdemir is a much more dynamic fighter than Ankalaev and has taken the longest break in his career in over five years to reset things. Ankalaev will be coming for war as this is the biggest fight on the biggest stage of his career. Standing in front of Ankalaev is a talented kickboxer who has a rapidly-evolving ground game. Conversely, Ankalaev is a savvy grappler who’s gaining confidence on the feet at a fast pace. There are, however, levels to this sport, and I think Ankalaev will only incorporate his wrestling after he gets discouraged on the feet in favor of Oezdemir. Like the rest of the card, this should be a barn burner!
Selection: Oezdemir via Decision (+750)
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