Saturday, December 9’s UFC Vegas 83 had originally been scheduled to take place in Shanghai, China, and was brimming with Asian talent as a result. Among those names, Chinese welterweight Song Kenan, who was paired up with Kevin Jousset in the night’s featured preliminary card fight.
Juosset opened up the action with a low kick on Saturday, as the pair circled and felt each other out. Kenan would later go to the body with a side kick, with the first two minutes low on action and high on feints and finding range. They finally began to come together more towards the three minute mark, if briefly. Late in the round, the pair traded in a couple of exchanges, Jousset keeping his right hand ready. He initiated a Thai clinch, but could not make much come of it. Kenan fired a couple of punches in answer to a leg kick in the dying seconds of the round. With both men landing a couple, Jousset might have had a slight edge.
Round two saw an exchange of jabs and single shots, with Song Kenan finding a home for his right hand in the opening 90 seconds. The pair opted to go the stand-up route for most of the round, squaring up and trading single strikes. The only takedown attempt came late in the round, but nothing came of it; instead they remained on the feet, trading with Jousset ending the frame with a kick to the body.
Kevin Jousset uncorked calf kicks early in the third, and worked his jab on Kenan, who was showing a fair amount of redness around the face. Jousset found some success with elbows in the clinch, and in the final minute, tied up Kenan along the fence. Kenan couldn’t seem to get his offense going much in round three, with Jousset pursuing a takedown until a final, violent exchange at the end. The bloodied face of Song Kenan told the story, with Jousset claiming the unanimous decision in the end.
France’s Jousset improved to 2-0 in the promotion, with a five-fight win streak overall care of the victory.
Official Result: Kevin Jousset def. Song Kenan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
