Kim Dong Hyun vs. Nate Diaz rumoured for UFC New Year’s Day card
The Ultimate Fighting Championships usually tries to pull out all the stops to build an exciting card around New Year’s Day. To that end, they’ve added a welterweight (170lb) match up between two rising stars
that should boost one of them a step closer towards title contention. Nate Diaz is set to face Korean star Kim 'Stun Gun' Dong Hyun.
Kim confirmed the match-up, set to take place on January 1 at UFC 125, and said he was looking to wow the crowd at the high-profile event.
"The most important thing for my next fight is to try to win in exciting fashion with a KO or submission finish," he commented.
The match up now joins a growing list of fights on the card, which already includes a lightweight (155lb) title match between champion Frankie 'The Answer' Edgar and Gray 'The Bully' Maynard. Also appearing
on the card are high profile fighters like Shane Carwin, Chris Leben, Thiago Silva, Brandon Vera and Antonio McKee.
Kim, holding a record of 13-0-1, is one of the best prospects in the division at 28 years old. He’s known for his aggressive judo grappling game and likes to challenge aggressively for submissions, most notably
the standing-rear-naked choke. While he’s only finished one UFC opponent, his grappling acumen ensures that he is often in complete control during the course of his fights. He displayed his talents during in his most recent win over Amir Sadollah in late May,
much to the frustration of the Muay Thai striker.
Diaz (13-5) is also coming off a win, a guillotine submission victory over Marcus Davis in August. Before that he had an impressive first round stoppage in March over Rory Markham in his first fight at welterweight
in the UFC. Unlike Kim, who relies on his positional control, Diaz lacks a good wrestling or takedown game, but instead uses solid technical boxing and very good Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for submissions. At 25, he’s another rising prospect in the UFC.
Tags: