Lightweight, Ren Yawei (9-3) Vs. Kim Sang Uk (12-3)
Ren Yawei
Pros:
-Chopping leg kicks
-Submission threat
-Chopping leg kicks
-Submission threat
Cons:
-N/A
-N/A
Kim Sang Uk
Pros:
-Submission threat
-Good wrestling
-Strikes to wrestle well
-Good positional grappling
-Good ground and pound
-Submission threat
-Good wrestling
-Strikes to wrestle well
-Good positional grappling
-Good ground and pound
Cons:
-Questionable chin
-Flat-footed at times
-One-dimensional
-Cardio needs work
-Questionable chin
-Flat-footed at times
-One-dimensional
-Cardio needs work
Prediction: Yawei entered the Road to UFC 4 tournament as a bit of a mystery, and his opening bout didn’t provide many answers. He scored a quick finish, but there wasn’t enough action beforehand to get a real sense of his overall game.
Uk, while not the most dynamic fighter, is a solid wrestler and positional grappler who leans heavily on his ground game to win rounds. His striking is still underdeveloped, and when he can’t get the fight to the mat, he tends to look uncomfortable.
Despite Uk’s limitations, I’m siding with him here, mainly due to the unanswered questions surrounding Yawei. Until we see more from him, the safer pick is the known quantity.
