Dong Hyun Kim only needed 90 seconds to put away the legendary lightweight Takanori Gomi at UFC Saitama.
“Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim is known for his incredible brawl against Polo Reyes at UFC 199 and his wild style on top of that. However, he is 1-2 in the Octagon, and has not fought since December 2016. Kim has earned stoppages in 11 of his 14 victories.
Once upon a time, Takanori Gomi was known as the best lightweight in the world. “The Fireball Kid” went on a 13-1 run in Pride with 10 stoppages in the mid-2000s. The Japanese legend signed with the UFC in 2010 with plenty of fanfare surrounding the occasion, but since then, he has gone 4-8, and is currently on a four-fight losing streak.
Both fighters began a feeling out process, neither man committing to shots in the first minute. Gomi landed a body shot, but could not reach on the overhand that followed. Kim landed a body kick, and Gomi continued to push forward.
Takanori Gomi could not find his range but Dong Hyun Kim did, landing a lightning straight punch through Gomi’s guard that sent him to the canvas. Kim pounced and the referee jumped in before any serious damage could be done to the fallen legend.
That is five losses in a row now for Takanori Gomi, this one coming in his home country of Japan. On the other side of things, that is two wins in a row now for Dong Hyun Kim after he dropped his first two UFC bouts. Kim expressed that he looked up to Gomi as a hero when he was growing up and that it was an honor to fight him in the Saitama Super Arena.
After a preliminary card full of decisions, the main card of UFC Saitama has delivered three stoppages including two incredible knockouts.
