UFC Welterweight bout: Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Odds: (even Diaz /-130 Hyun Kim )
Betting Pick: Diaz
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In what should be a competitive and entertaining Welterweight showdown, Nate Diaz will look to continue his 170 pound win streak against tough competitor Dong Hyun “Stun Gun” Kim. Both of these guys are very well-rounded, with solid striking and ground games, but Diaz is the more technical of the two while Kim is the more physically imposing, so this should be a great fight.
Dong Hyun Kim, a South Korean standout with a versatile skill set, has had a very successful UFC stint so far. Mixing solid boxing with good wrestling and very effective throws from the clinch, Kim is very good at controlling opponents. While he is not exactly a proficient finisher, he does a very good job of neutralizing his opponents and he is not easy to put off his game plan.
Diaz, who recently moved up from 155 after a couple of ridiculously undeserved decision losses, has looked very good at Welterweight so far. Like his brother Nick, Nate has very unorthodox but effective boxing and his punches come from strangle angles that are difficult for opponents to handle. He also has some of the best jiu-jitsu in the UFC at 170 pounds. His only problem is that he is not a very good wrestler and not a very strong guy, so he has trouble dealing with dominant physical grapplers, although he does have very effective and underrated throws from the clinch.
This is a very interesting stylistic matchup. Diaz is the superior striker and has far better submissions, but Kim is much stronger and more physical and has the kind of takedowns and control that have been known to give Diaz problems in the past. Still, I think this one favors Diaz. He will easily outstrike Kim and his clinch work is probably good enough to hold Kim off. Even if Kim does manage to get this fight to the ground, Diaz has excellent sweeps and submissions that Kim has never had to deal with before. I think Diaz will frustrate Kim on the feet, hold him off in the grappling game, and earn a unanimous decision win.
Prediction: Nate Diaz via Unanimous Decision.
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