Dong Hyun Kim never was and will never be a legitimate threat inside the UFC’s welterweight division. The 30-year-old South Korean fighter possesses some of the division’s best Judo skills, but Judo alone will not get a fighter anywhere close to t…
Dong Hyun Kim never was and will never be a legitimate threat inside the UFC’s welterweight division.
The 30-year-old South Korean fighter possesses some of the division’s best Judo skills, but Judo alone will not get a fighter anywhere close to the title in a stacked 170-pound division.
With a bout against Paulo Thiago looming at UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le, many wonder if the “Stun Gun” has what it takes to climb back into welterweight contention.
After a devastating knockout loss to current interim champion Carlos Condit, Kim has fallen into a pit of near irrelevancy after following a lackluster win over Sean Pierson at UFC 141 with a blowout loss to Demian Maia at UFC 148.
The thing with Kim is that he is a fine fighter…by 2002’s standards. The sport has simply passed him by, and he remains one of a handful of fighters who excel in only one area. If Kim cannot take you to the ground and impose his will, he cannot beat you.
Since arriving in the UFC in May 2008, Kim has posted a stellar record of 6-2 with one no contest, a testament to how far his Judo can take him. When one looks deeper into this record, however, the numbers become decidedly less impressive.
Of those six victories, only one came via stoppage. This singular TKO victory was against Jason Tan in Kim’s Octagon debut, and since that time, the “Stun Gun” has shocked absolutely no one inside the cage.
He is a one-dimensional fighter who falters when he cannot get his opponent to the mat, and the days of these fighters are rapidly dwindling. If you cannot showcase a multi-faceted attacked inside the Octagon today, you are done.
This is exactly where Kim stands, and his future will never see him surpass gatekeeper status.
Even if Kim absolutely demolishes Thiago Saturday night, he is not well-rounded enough to sustain a run inside the UFC’s welterweight division.
For fans of Kim, I’m sorry to say it, but your boy will never come close to seizing UFC gold.
From the minute we saw Alex Caceres’ grinning mug on The Ultimate Fighter Team GSP vs Team Koscheck in 2010, many wondered if he was substance or show. Due to his look and hair, he was pegged “Bruce Leroy” after the lead character from ’80s martial art…
From the minute we saw Alex Caceres‘ grinning mug on The Ultimate Fighter Team GSP vs Team Koscheck in 2010, many wondered if he was substance or show. Due to his look and hair, he was pegged “Bruce Leroy” after the lead character from ’80s martial arts musical The Last Dragon, a gimmick for entertainment to say the least. Or was it?
Virtually dismissed as a fraud by his peers in the TUF house, Caceres‘ had a surprisingly successful showing on the show gaining two upset submission wins before bowing out via decision to eventual season winner Micheal Johnson. Johnson dominated the entire fight, but Caceres survived and lost by decision, and he smiled the whole way through.
The lesson to be learned here is that Caceres proved to many, that he was not to be counted out.
After a false start with two losses in the featherweight division, Caceres moved down to bantamweight last year and has gone 2-1 in the process.
Just how far can Caceres go in the bantamweight division? I don’t think that Caceres will ever get a title shot or be the division champion, but I do think he can get into the top ten in the world and here are a few reasons why.
He is only 24 years old
He is only 24 years old and due to his personality attitude and TUF fan following, Caceres will get a lot of time and much opportunity to improve his game. He currently trains at the Young Tigers Foundation in Miami, and will have access to some of the top trainers in the world for the next few years. His potential is undeniable.
Bantamweight is a very thin division
When you glance at all the fighters in the bantamweight division, there aren’t too many that stick out as young, dominant sky’s-the-limit fighters. The two champions Dominick Cruz and RenanBerao fit that tag, but it really is a toss up after that. The next tier are names like Urijah Faber, Brian Bowles and Ivan Menjivar all men on the down side of their careers. The up-and-comers are guys like TJ Dillashaw, Mike Easton and Edwin Figueroa.
Caceres lost a split decision to Figueroa mostly because he was penalized two points for low blows.
He beat Escovedo and Page right out of the UFC
Caceres proved that he needed to be taken seriously by beating two seasoned veterans when their backs were squarely against the wall. He defeated Cole Escovedo via decision in his bantamweight debut and knocked Escovedo out of the UFC. He also upset veteran Damacio Page via submission in his last fight, and Page was released from the UFC.
The lesson here, don’t count Bruce Leroy out.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca UFC.
The UFC makes history when they invade China this weekend, and Joe Silva has put together an exciting card with notables and prospects alike.Headlining will be middleweight legends Rich Franklin and Cung Le. Both men have been champions in their day an…
The UFC makes history when they invade China this weekend, and Joe Silva has put together an exciting card with notables and prospects alike.
Headlining will be middleweight legends Rich Franklin and Cung Le. Both men have been champions in their day and have been revered throughout the fight community for some time.
Let’s now power rank all of the fights on the card in China.
After taking a few weeks off to recharge the batteries, UFC returns with a special event in China on Fuel TV that will be headlined by a middleweight showdown between Rich Franklin and Cung Le. The 38-year-old Franklin looks to change a pattern of…
After taking a few weeks off to recharge the batteries, UFC returns with a special event in China on Fuel TV that will be headlined by a middleweight showdown between Rich Franklin and Cung Le.
The 38-year-old Franklin looks to change a pattern of alternating wins and losses, which he has done in his last seven fights. He won his last bout against Wanderlei Silva in June via decision.
Le brings his kickboxing expertise into the octagon for the first time since July at UFC 148 when he earned his first UFC victory over Patrick Cote.
Where:Cotai Arena in Cotai Strip, Macau
When: Saturday, Nov. 10 at 9:00 a.m. ET
Watch: Main Card airs on Fuel TV at 9:00 a.m. ET; Preliminary Card airs on Facebook at 7:00 a.m. ET
FUEL TV MAIN CARD
Middleweight Bout: Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le
Light Heavyweight Bout: Thiago Silva vs. StanislavNedkov
Welterweight Bout: Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago
Lightweight Bout: TakanoriGomi vs. Mac Danzig
Bantamweight Bout: MotonobuTezuka vs. Alex Caceres
Lightweight Bout: TiequanZhang vs. Jon Tuck
FACEBOOK PRELIMINARY CARD
Flyweight Bout: YasuhiroUrushitani vs. John Lineker
Middleweight Bout: Riki Fukuda vs. Tom DeBlass
Bantamweight Bout: TakeyaMizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland
Welterweight Bout: David Mitchell vs. LimHyun-Gyu
Franklin’s Keys to Victory
Use size and reach advantage to overpower Le in later rounds
Franklin should be coming into this fight as a heavy favorite over Le. While neither fighter is at their physical peak due to age, Franklin is a much bigger middleweight than Le and should have a simple game plan to beat him.
Franklin holds a seven-inch reach advantage (76″ to 69″) and three-inch height advantage. He is naturally stronger and more powerful than Le. Franklin should have no problem dictating the pace and tempo of this fight, as a result.
Le’s Keys to Victory
Speed and quick fists are his biggest allies
What Le lacks in size he has to make up for in speed and knockout power. His best bet to win this fight is to keep his hands up and protect himself, hope that Franklin tires himself out early, at least enough for Le to land a big shot.
Le is so one-dimensional in his style that if Franklin gets the fight to the ground, it’s going to end in a hurry. He needs to keep moving around in order to keep Franklin from backing him into a corner and just beating him to a pulp.
What They Are Saying
While Franklin still has business to take care of, he is talking about things a little further into the future with the possibility of a fight with Michael Bisping.
Franklin told MMA Weekly Radio (h/t ESPN UK) that his plan to get back into middleweight title contention, if it is even possible, would be to shoot for one of the top guys in the division.
I don’t believe the UFC, I don’t believe they’re going to give me a title fight after this. I believe there’s going to be another step in that process.
I don’t know who that would be, if it would be somebody like a Bisping, or something like that, but winning a fight always puts you in the right direction.
Selling a third fight, as Franklin goes on to say, with Anderson Silva would be a virtual impossibility. But you have to keep thinking about the ultimate prize if you are an athlete, which is what Franklin is doing.
Undercard Fight to Watch
David Mitchell vs. LimHyun-Gyu
A potentially fun welterweight bout will kick off the show on Facebook, with Mitchell fighting to save his job after two losses to begin his UFC career, and Hyun-Gyu trying to make a name for himself in his first UFC fight.
Mitchell specializes in fighting on the ground, so it will be imperative he gets things to the mat early and control the pace while fighting to lock in a submission.
Hyun-Gyu’s knockout punch has been on display in promotions like M-1 Global and PXC, but we have to see if it will translate to UFC. Considering that this is his debut, and he wants to impress the top brass, don’t be surprised if he comes out firing like a mad man.
Main Event Prediction
As alluded to above, it just seems like it will be very difficult for Le to defeat Franklin due to the size and power advantage Franklin has. You would never say it’s impossible, because Le does have a decent punch, but it certainly doesn’t look good.
Cung Le is one of the most impressive strikers to compete in MMA in recent memory.The way Le is able to blend his kicks with punches is downright beautiful to watch. The former Strikeforce middleweight champion ran his undefeated streak to six wins to …
Cung Le is one of the most impressive strikers to compete in MMA in recent memory.
The way Le is able to blend his kicks with punches is downright beautiful to watch.
The former Strikeforce middleweight champion ran his undefeated streak to six wins to begin his MMA career. Le tasted defeat for the first time against Scott Smith but then defeated Smith in a rematch.
Le performed admirably, but lost, in his UFC debut against MMA legend Wanderlei Silva. He bounced back at UFC 148 with a victory over Canadian, Patrick Cote.
He now carries the weight of being the main event for the UFC’s first event in China and faces a very game Rich Franklin on Saturday night. It’s more of a novelty fight, but fans still have plenty of concerns about the former Strikeforce champion.
The UFC will return this Saturday, November 10th with their first card since UFC 153 back in October. It has been a long time for the fans, but thankfully the wait is almost over.The UFC on Fuel 6 Card will feature some exciting bouts that are gua…
The UFC will return this Saturday, November 10th with their first card since UFC 153 back in October. It has been a long time for the fans, but thankfully the wait is almost over.
The UFC on Fuel 6 Card will feature some exciting bouts that are guaranteed to entertain the fans. The card features a wide variety of fighters who are primed to do what they do best and make this UFC on Fuel card a memorable one.
Dong Hyun Kim never was and will never be a legitimate threat inside the UFC’s welterweight division.