Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports
UFC 163 kicks off tomorrow night in Brazil, featuring an exciting featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Chan-Sung Jung. Both of these fighters are elite strikers, so it should be a fun scrap from start to finish. Also, Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis will battle for a top-contender status in the light heavyweight division, which is being dominated by Jon Jones. Let’s now take a look at the rest of the card and make some predictions.
Flyweight: John Lineker vs. Jose Tome: Lineker comes into this bout with the superior power advantage, which bodes well for him. He will pick his shots and stuff any takedowns from Tome, who is simply outmatched. Final Prediction: Lineker wins via TKO in the first round.
Middleweight: Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson: This bout is essentially the grappler, Leites, vs. the striker, Watson. Despite being on a three-fight winning streak, Leites will not do well in the standup portion of the fight. Watson will keep the fight standing, landing some good shots each round to win a decision. Final Prediction: Watson wins via unanimous decision.
Middleweight: Cezar Ferreira vs. Thiago Santos: Ferreira is the better striker in this match-up, and he will land something devastating quick. Final Prediction: Ferreira wins via KO in the first round.
Light Heavyweight: Machida vs. Davis: This bout could determine the next light heavyweight contender, so both of these fighters will be looking to impress. Machida is by far the better striker, but Davis has the wrestling advantage. The question is, can he get close enough to utilize his wrestling attack? Machida has always been one of the most elusive fighters in the UFC, often counter striking his opponents until the perfect open comes to fruition. Machida will time his shots and will methodically pick apart Davis on his feet. It may not be an exciting fight, but Machida does enough to get the nod. Final Prediction: Machida wins via unanimous decision.
Featherweight Championship: Aldo vs. Jung: This exciting featherweight title fight has all the makings to be a war. Jung is a competent MMA fighter and is certainly coming into his own as of late. In his last two fights, he has been able to excite and get the finish, but he is facing one of the greatest fighters in the UFC right now. Aldo has exceptional takedown defense, so it will be hard for Jung to get this bout into his world. Aldo also has a world class kicking game, which he will rely on heavily in this bout. Jung will put up a fight, but he doesn’t have as many weapons at his disposal like Aldo does. Final Prediction: Aldo wins via TKO in the second round.
