This Saturday, UFC Fight Night 79 will be bringing us fight action from South Korea, and will feature a pivotal match-up between two future title contenders in the welterweight division – Benson Henderson and Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal, filling in as a replacement for Thiago Alves, steps into this fight as the underdog, but both of these men are among the best in their division. Read on for more details concerning UFC Fight Night 79’s main card:
Sam Sicilia (+200) vs. Doo Ho Choi (-240)
Kicking things off in the featherweight division; knockout artists Sam Sicilia and Doo Ho Choi will engage in what should be an explosive bout to start off the main card. Sicilia packs heavy, thunderous power in his punches and is coming into this contest with a lot of momentum being that he’s on a two-fight winning streak. Sicilia’s bread and butter is his overhand right which he fires early and often. His counterpart, the “Korean Superboy”, is looking to make it 2-0 inside the UFC. Doo Ho Choi is an exceptional striker who really pays attention to the finer details in the stand up game. Doo Ho Choi showed that he can close the distance incredibly fast in his debut, and while he may not look like a power puncher, he lands with accuracy and great technique. This may prompt Sam Sicilia to try and go for takedowns to shutdown the string game of Doo Ho Choi, but Choi isn’t necessarily aggressive like Sicilia is so this may make things more difficult for Sicilia.
All in all, both of these guys can shut each other’s lights out on the feet. If Sicilia gets it done, it’ll most likely be by overwhelming Choi and smashing him overhand rights. If Choi gets it done, it’ll be through precise counters and laser accurate straights. I favor Doo Ho Choi here because of his unpredictability in comparison to Sicilia’s more predictable motions. Expect Doo Ho Choi to land on Sicilia coming in and put hits lights out. Doo Ho Choi via 1st Rd TKO
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Alberto Mina (+130) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (-155)
“Sexiyama” is back. The Japanese sensation returns to the UFC after over a year-long lay off following his 2014 decision win over Amir Sadollah. Here to welcome Akiyama back is undefeated Brazilian, Alberto Mina, who is also coming off of a year-long lay off since getting a TKO win in his UFC debut. While Akiyama’s striking packs power and some okay technique, Father Time might not be so forgiving; expect Akiyama to rely on his go-to Judo work. He’ll have to work hard to close the distance though as Alberto Mina is the longer fighter, and knows how to throw offense at range. Mina brings all 11 of his wins as finishes – six submissions and 5 stoppages. This makes him a very dangerous welcome-back party for Akiyama. I’d like to think that Akiyama can suppress Mina’s grappling skills and lengthy striking, but Mina just presents too many threats for the 40-year-old. Unless Akiyama can put him away on the feet, which he has the power to do so, look for Mina to lock up a triangle off his back toward the end of the fight. Alberto Mina via 3rd Rd Submission
Dong Hyun Kim (-725) vs. Dominic Waters (+525)
“Stun Gun” meets his replacement, Dominic Waters, in a welterweight match up that presents us with the biggest favorite and the biggest underdog of the entire card. Kim is an ultra-experienced competitor by now as he has compiled an 11-3 record inside the UFC. Mostly known for his Judo and grappling skills, Kim is a creative, crafty guy on the mat who is good at neutralizing and shutting his opponents down. Kim also loves to throw elbows from top position, and will snatch the occasional submission if it’s there. On the feet, it’s hard to tell whether Kim will be the extremely aggressive, caution-to-the-wind type of fighter he was against Erick Silva, John Hathaway, and Tyron Woodley, or if he’ll be the more calculated fighter like he was in his last fight. Either way, Kim is a fun guy to watch as you will either see beautiful ground work, or absolute chaos on the feet. His opponent, Dominic Waters, is really untested coming into this match up and absolutely outclassed on paper. Waters had a stint on The Ultimate Fighter, and looked like an early prospect, but quickly wilted against fighters who brought pressure. Seeing as how Kim is all about pressure and aggression, look for Kim to masterfully out-match Waters on the mat. Dong Hyun Kim via 2nd Rd Submission
Benson Henderson (-260) vs. Jorge Masvidal (+215)
The main event of Saturday night is an important one between two contenders in the welterweight division. While this fight may not have direct title implications, it boosts the winner into that mix among the elite. Benson Henderson, former UFC lightweight champion, steps into his second welterweight contest after submitting Brandon Thatch earlier this year. Masvidal on the other hand also made his welterweight debut in the UFC in his last fight as he knocked out Cezar Ferreira. Even though both Henderson and Masvidal are very experienced veterans by now, they are continually improving and fine-tuning their skills. Henderson has developed from being a smothering wrestler in an athletic striker with endless cardio. Masvidal on the other hand has went from a brawler in his early career to a silky smooth striker with great takedown defense. This is a fantastic match up.
I give Masvidal the edge in the striking based on his level of comfort, and the small nuiances he seems to pick up on in the midst of combat. While Henderson isn’t one to really pressure Masvidal into intense exchanges, Masvidal should be able to get off first with his shots early in the fight. Henderson will need to look for takedowns if he wants control. I can see this being a twenty-five minute striking battle, but I can also see Henderson landing takedowns late in the fight and controlling from there. Masvidal should have the edge early and may even seem on par to pulling out the upset as he out-lands Henderson while avoiding takedowns, but once Bendo finds his rhythm, I see his championship level expertise pulling through. Expect Benson to regularly land takedowns in round three, and close the fight out strong. Benson Henderson via Unanimous Decision
