UFC Fight Night 167: Anderson vs. Blachowicz II - Predictions and Picks

#7 The Prelims: ESPN+ card

Longtime veteran Tim Means headlines this weekend's prelim card

All of this show’s prelims will be available on ESPN+, and surprisingly for a Fight Night show there’s plenty to love here.

At the top of the portion is a Welterweight clash between Tim Means and Daniel Rodriguez. ‘The Dirty Bird’, a veteran of 20 UFC fights, is coming off a solid win over Thiago Alves, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that he’s past his prime now at the age of 35. Still, his lengthy reach, use of nasty clinch strikes and an opportunistic submission game still make him dangerous. Rodriguez meanwhile is much younger, but he’s also very unproven, as ‘D-Rod’ has yet to debut in the UFC proper and has only been fighting since 2015. I’m not convinced about his elite potential and to be frank, Means is a nasty opponent to be starting a UFC run against. I’ll take Means via TKO.

At Bantamweight, arguably the best fight on the entire card sees veteran John Dodson take on Nathaniel Wood, one of the best prospects in the division. This should come down to whether Wood can outwork Dodson in the same way that the likes of Petr Yan and Jimmie Rivera did, without running into a sledgehammer punch from ‘The Magician’, who still carries terrifying power in his hands. It’s a close fight to call but I like Wood and he’s got a veteran’s poise to go along with his natural gifts. I’m taking Wood via decision here.

At Lightweight, it’s a clash of true veterans, as Jim Miller steps into the Octagon for what will be the 34th time to take on ‘Hot Sauce’ Scott Holtzman. The demise of Miller has been expected for years now – not least during a sticky patch when he was in fact suffering from Lyme disease – but he’s actually on a 2-fight win streak right now. Prime Miller would’ve shredded Holtzman – a passable but not exceptional fighter in all areas – but at 36 with so much damage behind him it’s a trickier pick. I’m still going with Miller due to Holtzman’s wins not really being impressive, but it could be a close fight.

Prospects face off at 135lbs, as Casey Kenney takes on powerful Georgian wrestler Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili is a tremendous takedown artist and he’s also coming off two straight wins, but Kenney is no stranger to beating touted grapplers; he defeated Ray Borg and Manny Bermudez in his last two fights. This one should be a super-close fight but I think Kenney’s aggression and more meaningful offense might net him a decision.

At Bantamweight, the lanky former 145 lber Macy Chiasson takes on Nicco Montano in a clash of former TUF winners. This one’s quite tough to pick as Chiasson found that she can’t rely purely on raw strength and athleticism when she was beaten by Lina Lansberg last September, but she is far bigger than the former Flyweight champion, and has a huge reach advantage in particular. If she can fend off Montano’s takedown I think she can win this one by decision.

Finally, Mark De La Rosa faces Raulian Paiva in a Flyweight clash. Both men are coming off two straight wins, but while ‘Bumblebee’ De La Rosa has more UFC wins to his name – 2 – Paiva is better than his record suggests and was giving the touted Rogerio Bontorin a tough fight before he suffered a bad cut. I like Paiva via TKO here.