UFC Macao’s main card was dragging until the co-main event came along. That fight saw welterweight contenders Tyron Woodley and Dong Hyun Kim square off in a high-profile affair.
In what was a short outing, Woodley redeemed himself from a poor showing against Rory MacDonald by brutally putting down Kim with a gnarly TKO. It brings him back to the spotlight and allows him to stay relevant in a division full of sharks.
What did we learn from the co-main event? Let’s take a look.
What We’ll Remember from This Fight
The class act that Woodley is. When a fighter wins a fight, especially in the awesome fashion that he did, he is entitled to the spotlight.
While Woodley did get interviewed and told us all it was his wedding anniversary, he let Kim address the crowd. This was very selfless, as Woodley knew a lot of fans came and possibly traveled to see Kim perform.
It’s moments like this that make MMA such a great and respectful sport.
What We Learned About Woodley
If you make one mistake, Woodley is going to capitalize.
We knew Woodley had one-punch finishing capability. However, we now see that he has the eye to catch the smallest crack in an opponent’s technique and can turn it into something big for himself.
In this case, it was an errant spinning attack by Kim that turned into a brilliant counter by the Missouri native. It’s a scary intangible for a guy like him to have moving forward.
What We Learned About Kim
He needs to revert to his former fighting style and stay away from the flash.
Yes, his finish of John Hathaway was awesome. It could be a top contender for Knockout of the Year.
However, Kim has a track record of being most successful with his grinding, relentless style where he breaks guys down. He needs to revert back to that and pick his spots on the crazy strikes if he ever plans on contending for a UFC championship.
What’s Next for Woodley?
Woodley has some options now that he has reopened the eyes of fans and the UFC brass.
The first option would be original Kim opponent Hector Lombard. Both men are big punchers with great athleticism and physical strength.
Another opponent could be Matt Brown, who is coming off a top contender’s bout loss to Robbie Lawler. He has the striking and grit that would really test the character of Woodley.
What’s Next for Kim?
Kim is really in limbo. He’s always the bridesmaid and never the bride in the UFC title picture.
An option could be the loser of Saturday night’s Jordan Mein-Mike Pyle fight in Tulsa. Both men are around the same spot in the division, and it could be a great rebound fight.
The other option could be against Jake Ellenberger. Both men have had consistency problems and would benefit taking on someone in a similar position.
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