Seok Hyun Ko
The Korean Tyson
South Korea
Shines in UFC debut
Ko defeated Oban Elliott via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
ANALYSIS
Making his official UFC debut after a win on Dana White's Contender Series last September, Ko looked terrific. His nickname is "The Korean Tyson," so of course Ko went out and dominated Elliott with his wrestling game. He landed 6-of-9 takedown attempts, good for 10:15 worth of control time. Every single time he made a concerted effort to limit the space between the two, Oban was done. We'll have to see how much of this showing is sticky given Ko's age (31) and his fairly unimpressive resume to date, but this was a brilliant performance.
Making his official UFC debut after a win on Dana White's Contender Series last September, Ko looked terrific. His nickname is "The Korean Tyson," so of course Ko went out and dominated Elliott with his wrestling game. He landed 6-of-9 takedown attempts, good for 10:15 worth of control time. Every single time he made a concerted effort to limit the space between the two, Oban was done. We'll have to see how much of this showing is sticky given Ko's age (31) and his fairly unimpressive resume to date, but this was a brilliant performance.
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More Fantasy News
Next fight completely changed
Ko is scheduled to compete against Oban Elliott in a welterweight fight at UFC Baku on June 21, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Ko was scheduled to fight Billy Goff at UFC Vegas 107. That same event, the UFC slated Elliott against Ramiz Brahimaj. Both the Korean and Elliott withdrew from their Vegas bouts, which resulted in Goff and Brahimaj getting scheduled against each other. The promotion ultimately decided on an opponent switcheroo, with Ko and Elliott fighting each other at a later date, that being June 21 in Baku. This would be Ko's new debut date.
Ko was scheduled to fight Billy Goff at UFC Vegas 107. That same event, the UFC slated Elliott against Ramiz Brahimaj. Both the Korean and Elliott withdrew from their Vegas bouts, which resulted in Goff and Brahimaj getting scheduled against each other. The promotion ultimately decided on an opponent switcheroo, with Ko and Elliott fighting each other at a later date, that being June 21 in Baku. This would be Ko's new debut date.
Booked vs Goff
Ko will fight Billy Goff at UFC Vegas 107 on May 31, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Ko will participate in his first official UFC fight in May and will take on Billy Goff. Ko, as an underdog, defeated Igor Cavalcanti via unanimous decision in September at Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series and was awarded with an official UFC contract at the end of the night. Goff has not fought since he lost to Trey Waters (unanimous decision) last May and has a two-inch reach advantage on Ko.
Ko will participate in his first official UFC fight in May and will take on Billy Goff. Ko, as an underdog, defeated Igor Cavalcanti via unanimous decision in September at Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series and was awarded with an official UFC contract at the end of the night. Goff has not fought since he lost to Trey Waters (unanimous decision) last May and has a two-inch reach advantage on Ko.
Another contract despite decision
Seok Hyun Ko defeated Igor Cavalcanti via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) at Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series. After the show, he was one of five fighters to earn an official UFC contract.
ANALYSIS
Entering as a (+240) underdog and fighting outside of Korea for the first time in years, per the telecast, not much was expected of Ko in the evening's finale. However, he was able to wear down his opponent in each round, gradually racking up striking and control time. By the third round, Cavalcanti simply didn't have anything left in the tank, as Ko got a positional advantage early and limited his opponent to just three significant strikes in the frame. He might be a bit undersized for welterweight and a bit past "prospect" status at the age of 30, but Ko is now an official member of the UFC roster.
Entering as a (+240) underdog and fighting outside of Korea for the first time in years, per the telecast, not much was expected of Ko in the evening's finale. However, he was able to wear down his opponent in each round, gradually racking up striking and control time. By the third round, Cavalcanti simply didn't have anything left in the tank, as Ko got a positional advantage early and limited his opponent to just three significant strikes in the frame. He might be a bit undersized for welterweight and a bit past "prospect" status at the age of 30, but Ko is now an official member of the UFC roster.