The UFC is heading to Singapore on Jan. 4, 2014, and it appears the card is filling up rather quickly, via MMA Junkie.
The show is headlined by welterweight counterparts Jake Ellenberger and Tarec Saffiedine, both of whom are arguably top 10 in the world at 170. This will be the debut of Saffiedine, who comes over as the last champion of Strikeforce in the welterweight division.
This matchup promises to be intriguing, as Ellenberger is a power-punching wrestler, while Saffiedine is a technical kickboxer with sturdy takedown defense. Though Ellenberger could test the Belgian’s defense, he has shown in the past that he is content to bang on the feet.
The winner of this fight is definitely not the top contender at 170, but he will definitely put his name toward the top of the list.
Ellenberger is coming off a lackluster loss to top fighter Rory MacDonald, while Saffiedine is entering the Octagon on a long layoff, as his last fight was a win in the final show over Nate Marquardt.
Also on the card is newly signed Japanese superstar Tatsuya Kawajiri, who makes his promotional debut against the well-respected Brazilian grappler Hacran Dias.
Kawajiri has long been one of the top fighters outside the UFC, but now, he gets a chance to prove he is world class. Known as The Crusher, Kawajiri has powerful hands, but a more refined ground game has been the trademark of his most recent fights.
He goes up against Dias, who has seen mixed results in his UFC career. After taking a huge win in his debut over Yuri Alcantara, Dias faltered in his last fight due to lack of wrestling chops. That is something that will definitely be tested when fighting Kawajiri.
Three more under-the-radar fights have been added as well, all of which feature talent from Asian countries.
South Korean knockout artist Hyun Gyu Lim will make his return to the Octagon against Japanese newcomer Kiichi Kunimoto. Lim has been devastating in his two-fight UFC career thus far, brutally KO’ing Marcelo Guimaraes and Pascal Krauss in his short time with the company.
As for Kunimoto, he enters the UFC on the strength of a four-fight win streak, including an armbar of WEC and UFC veteran Edward Faaloloto. The grappler has eight of his 15 wins via tapout, showing that this bout will truly be a striker versus grappler affair.
South Korean bantamweight Kyung Ho Kang is likely fighting for his job in Singapore when he welcomes newcomer and Japanese standout Shunichi Shimizu. Kang lost to Alex Caceres in his debut—though it was turned over to a no-contest—before dropping a decision to Chico Camus in his follow-up.
Shimizu enters the Octagon on a five-fight win streak and is a veteran of the Pancrase and ZST organizations in Japan. Of his 28 wins, 19 have come via submission, so this fight opposite of Kang should be a grappling affair, as Kang is a wrestler himself.
The final match added thus far is a lightweight bout that pits newcomer Katsunori Kikuno against Quinn Mulhern. Kikuno, a citizen of Japan, comes into the UFC very highly regarded and gets a respectable test in the Strikeforce vet Mulhern.
Kikuno is a striker who owns 12 wins via knockout. At 21-5-2, it is important to note that most of his losses have come with a step up in competition, including falters against Shinya Aoki teammate Satoru Kitaoka, UFC veteran Mizuto Hirota, WSOF employee Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez.
This, like the Lim-Kunimoto tilt, will be a striker versus grappler matchup. Kikuno loves to bang on the feet, while Mulhern, a BJJ brown belt, loves to use his lanky frame and long limbs on the mat to secure submissions.
With all these additions, the card in Singapore is shaping up to be a must-see event. For more updates and news, stay tuned with Bleacher Report.
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