Bantamweight, Yoo Soo Young Vs Shohei Nose
Tale of the Tape
Seoul, South Korea
28
Five-foot-six
11-3
Combined opponent’s record: 59-29-1
Fukuoka, Japan
26
Five-foot-six
12-4-2
Combined opponent’s record: 111-71-15
Pros and Cons
Yoo Soo Young
Pros
- Excellent TDD
- Good lead jab
- Strong wrestling
- Times takedown entries well
- Good ground and pound
- Strikes to wrestle well
- Good leg kicks
Cons
- Don’t check leg kicks
- Doesn’t deal well with pressure
Shohei Nose
Pros
- Submission threat
- Good leg kicks
- Good wrestling
- Fast starter
- Diverse submission attack
Cons
- Slows as the fight goes
- TDD needs work
- Submission before position
Prediction: Nose is returning to Road to UFC, which has had him feature on all three seasons of the series. Nose lost to Rinya Nakamura in season one but there is no shame in that. Last season he lost to Xiao Long who I don’t rate highly at all. He’s getting a veteran and a well-rounded guy in Young on Road to UFC 3.
I say well-rounded, but Young is better with his wrestling and grappling. That’s also where Nose is best. Nose is unorthodox and tricky and I don’t think that helps him in this one. Nose doesn’t have any takedown defense and is a very loose grappler. Young is the more technical grappler. He may not be as slick with the submissions but is better defensively and patient at what he does. I don’t see this one playing out on the feet as much but Young has more tools and is better defensively. I’m pretty confident in Young here.
