Goiania Arena will be rocking with raucous Brazilian fight fans for UFC Fight Night 67. “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit makes his highly-anticipated return after sustaining a torn ACL in March 2014. He faces the ever dangerous striker Thiago “Pitbull” Alves who has enjoyed a bit of a career resurgence of late.
A wild brawl is due for the main event, but the undercard is also looking sweet. Featherweight contender Charles Oliveira faces Nik Lentz, while strikers Alex Oliveira and KJ Noons go toe-to-toe in the welterweight division.
Excited for more fights? Head over to our complete preview for UFC 188 headlined by the heavyweight unification bout between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum.
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UFC Fight Night 67 Predictions and Preview
Welterweight: “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit vs. Thiago “Pitbull” Alves
Former interim welterweight champion “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit (29-8) is back and ready to tear it up on the way to the top of his loaded division. But standing in his way is powerful striker Thiago “Pitbull” Alves (21-9).
[sc:UFC240banner ]Pitbull’s 11 knockdowns are the most among all welterweights in the UFC. His kicks are absolutely brutal, most recently knocking out Jordan Mein with a well-placed kick to the solar plexus. The Brazilian’s leg kicks may even be deadlier with Condit returning from a knee injury. But Alves tends to put himself in adverse situations, regularly placing his back on the cage.
Alves can’t leave himself vulnerable. Condit is called the Natural Born Killer for a reason, winning by decision just twice in his career. He can knock opponents senseless early and often with power in both his kicks and punches. 10 of his 14 knockout wins have come in the first round. Condit is also a competent grappler finishing 13 of his opponents by submission.
Writer’s prediction: Condit (-260) by third round TKO.
Featherweight: Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz
Charles Oliveira is slowly climbing the ladder of the UFC Featherweight Division with three straight victories. He could further propel himself to a possible top five ranking with a win over gritty veteran Nik Lentz. The two already faced each other earlier in their respective careers. Do Bronx was spectacular in that match peppering Lentz with 61 strikes (31 significant).
Oliveira was even better on the ground with two reversals, four guard passes and three submission attempts before sealing the deal with a rear naked choke in the second round. But the result was overturned due to an inadvertent illegal knee strike seemingly knocking Lentz senseless. Years later, Do Bronx looks even more dangerous now after winning five of his last eight fights (four by submission), while Lentz has barely improved if at all leading into this match.
Writer’s prediction: Oliveira is too well-rounded to lose this bout. Do Bronx (-270) wins 30-27 across the board.
KJ Noons is one of the most fearsome boxers in all of MMA with nine of his 13 victories coming by way of knockout. But he struggles against good kickers like Alex Oliveira. Cowboy had made a name for himself as a knockout artist before entering the UFC. Eight of Oliveira’s 10 victories have been decided by knockout or TKO.
Oliveira’s impressive Muay Thai was on full display in his UFC debut, outlanding his opponent 29-17 in significant strikes before falling victim to a third-round armbar. If Oliveira can use his reach and kicks to keep Noons at bay, then he should control how the fight goes on the feet. Noons also lost to a Muay Thai stylist in his UFC debut, dropping a unanimous decision against Donald Cerrone.
Writer’s prediction: This is Oliveira’s (-130) rodeo. Cowboy wins by decision, 29-28.
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Light Heavyweight: Francimar Barroso vs. Ryan Jimmo
Ryan Jimmo brought a 16-fight win streak to his Octagon debut in July 2012. He extended his win streak with a mind-blowing seven-second knockout of veteran Anthony Perosh. But Jimmo has struggled with consistency in the UFC, alternating wins and losses in his six-fight career in the Octagon. His next assignment won’t be against a scrub either. He faces the dangerous Francimar Barroso from the heralded Nova União camp.
Barroso is a 20-fight veteran who can seemingly do it all. He can turn his opponents’ lights out, and has eight career knockout victories. He can also force tapouts as evidenced by his six career submission victories. But Barroso can be quite “chinny” with three of his four losses coming by knockout. If Jimmo can land one of his bombs on Barroso’s button, then it’ll be night night for the Brazilian veteran.
Writer’s prediction: Barroso (+200) by second round TKO.
Lightweight: “Stormin” Norman Parke vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Norman Parke has been stormin’ since entering the UFC Lightweight Division. He went on a five-fight unbeaten run before suffering a split decision loss to cagey veteran Gleison Tibau in January 2015. But Parke can rebound nicely with his slick striking against Francisco Trinaldo in Brazil. One of the best volume strikers in the lightweight division, Stormin has out-struck his last five opponents 336-232.
Parke should have a favorable matchup against the plodding Trinaldo. But the Brazilian is one of the biggest lightweights on the roster. He excels in dragging his opponents to the mat and punishing them with suffocating ground control. Getting Parke to the mat may be difficult with his Judo background, though. Parke has defended 87 percent of takedowns attempted against him in the UFC.
Writer’s prediction: Parke (-230) cruises to a unanimous decision victory.
