Dong Hyun Kim is a Korean prospect who many fans have taken note of as of late, and now it’s getting pretty difficult to ignore him as he ascends to the top of the UFC Welterweight ladder.
His Judo and smothering top game, as well as the short but lethal blows he delivers from the top have all gotten him past the likes of Amir Sadollah, Matt Brown, and Nate Diaz, and next up for “The Stun Gun” is ultimate WEC Welterweight titlist Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit.
Some are quickly saying that despite sharing a card with the UFC Bantamweight title grudge match between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, as well as being the fight before the middleweight co-headliner between Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben, this fight could potential be the one that steals the show tomorrow night.
Others are not as optimistic–not because of Condit’s ties to Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting camp, which houses UFC Welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre and current UFC Light Heavyweight ringleader Jon Jones, but because of the slow, methodical style of Kim.
Many would argue that perhaps it’s in the better portions of the UFC’s interest to have the former and final WEC Welterweight Champion as the next in line for the title after GSP faces Nick Diaz for the belt this October, but is that the reality of the current Welterweight landscape now that the six-fight win streak of Rick Story has come has been halted?
Does the UFC lose in any respect if Dong Hyun Kim, not Carlos Condit, prevails tomorrow night?
The real answer depends on a multitude of issues, but all in all, I would like to believe that they will not lose in the long run, even if Condit loses tomorrow night.
Firstly, we must remember that Kim, along with Dongi “The Ox” Yang and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, represents a breed of rising Korean Mixed Martial Artists who are looking to polarize their name and influence in the American scene.
A guy like Kim, much like Jung, can help the UFC break into the Korean markets based on his name, skill, and his personality, which is quiet except for when he made his new year’s resolution about Nate Diaz.
In addition to the markets Kim could break the UFC into on his talent and personality alone, he’s also at a point in his career where he knows a win over Condit could get him close to a UFC Welterweight title bout (or at least a bout with Jon Fitch, as the situation may be), but he also knows that there is no guarantee of a title shot with all the talent that exists in the division right now.
Kim wants GSP, we’ve heard him say he wants GSP, and if Nick Diaz falls to GSP, then Kim may be able to assert himself as the next contender to the throne with a win over Condit, but for right now there is no guarantee that Kim will get the title shot and therefore the UFC has nothing to lose.
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