Featherweight: Hong Jun Young Vs. Koyomi Matsushima
Tale of the tape
Hong Jun Young
Seoul, South Korea
32-years-old
5’7″
11-6-1
2-fight win streak
Kayomi Matsushima
Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
29-years-old
5’8″
12-5
No win streak
Pros and Cons
Hong Jun Young
Pros
- Good volume
- Good head movement
- Tough
- Uses feints well
- Explosive
- Good leg kicks
Cons
- Doesn’t wear damage well
- Will overextend on punches
- Defense weakens as the fight goes
- TDD needs a little work
Kayomi Matsushima
Pros
- Submission threat
- Quick feet
- Chain wrestles well
- Strong grappling
- Scrambles really well
- Solid wrestling
- Good kicks
Cons
- Shoots takedowns from too far out at times
- Slows in the last rounds
- Throws single strikes
- Questionable chin
Prediction: This is my most anticipated fight of this episode. Both these guys could compete in the UFC and both match up well against each other. It’s also a very tough fight to predict as both are stronger in different areas but skilled everywhere.
Both Matsushima and Young tend to fade in the last rounds, but that favors Young a bit more since he’s gone the distance twice more and has gone five rounds before. Where Matsushima could excel more is in the grappling early. Young has never lost by submission but is vulnerable if he’s grounded for too long. If Matsushima doesn’t stop this inside five minutes I feel Young will find the finish. Matsushima has been clipped before as his defense isn’t the best as the fight goes on. Throwing those single strikes, he can very well be countered by Young.
Young can crack too and is willing to take one to land one and against a less powerful Matsushima that could work out for him. The pick is Young because I don’t see him getting finished early and this fight favors him the longer it goes.
