The UFC holds their first full event on their brand new digital network, UFC Fight Pass, early Saturday morning as UFC Fight Night 34: Saffiedine vs. Lim takes place on Saturday, January 4 from the Marina Bay Sands in Marina Bay, Singapore in China. It will be airing live beginning at 6:30 AM eastern time in the United States, but will be available for viewing all day to UFC Fight Pass subscribers. Headlining the event will be the UFC debut of former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Tarec Saffiedine as he takes on Hyun Gyu Lim in a five-round bout. Also, long-time Japanese standout Tatsuya ‘The Crusher’ Kawajiri will make his long-awaited UFC debut in the night’s co-main event.
The card is going to feature a lot of unknown fighters to the casual audience, as this will be the first test of these UFC Fight Pass events. It will feature a lot of local fighters looking to make a name for themselves in the UFC and eventually move up the rankings in their respective divisions. This will be what the norm is for these events, and it will be a good showcase for these fighters as they get the UFC spotlight. We will be breaking down the card in two parts, as while the entire card is streamed on the UFC Fight Pass Network, it does have an official main card and an official preliminary card.
Let’s take a look at the night’s main card. (Editorial note: Inside Fights’ Scott Sawitz will be chiming in throughout with any salient point).
Welterweights (Five Round Main Event)
Tarec Saffiedine (14-3, 0-0 UFC) vs. Hyun Lyu Gim (12-3-1, 2-0 UFC)
The last-ever Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, Tarec Saffiedine, finally makes his UFC debut in the night’s main event as he takes on Korean standout Hyun Gyu Lim in a five-round bout. Saffiedine was originally scheduled to meet Jake Ellenberger in this bout, but an injury forced Ellenberger out of the fight. A fight between Saffiedine and Ellenberger was very interesting and could’ve played a big toll on the future of the welterweight division, and while Saffiedine vs. Lim isn’t nearly as high-profile, it is just as interesting because both men are very talented and very underrated in a stacked UFC welterweight division. Saffiedine has won four straight fights, and his only loss this decade came to Tyron Woodley, who is quickly ascending the UFC’s welterweight ladder. It has been almost a year since Saffiedine fought, when he won the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship from Nate Marquardt in the final bout in Strikeforce history. On the other hand, Lim fought twice in 2013, scoring two knockout wins in his first two UFC bouts over Marcelo Guimaraes and Pascal Krauss. Lim has won seven straight fights overall, and his last loss came nearly five years ago. He hasn’t seen a lot of action over the past few years, much like Saffiedine, and he is a huge welterweight who cuts a lot of weight to make the limit, and it has affected him in the past. There is still the chance this fight never happens until it actually does happen.
Lim has an 82-inch reach, so he will have a full foot-long reach edge over Saffiedine. Lim also has solid boxing skills and good grappling skills, and he is a proven finisher. Conversely, Saffiedine hasn’t finished a fight since May 2010, but he is a very solid and well-rounded fighter. Saffiedine has powerful leg kicks, and they took Marquardt out of their fight, and he has good control. Lim will be needing to use his size against Saffiedine and make it a boxing battle as Saffiedine will control and win a technical fight. Saffiedine has good muay Thai skills, and his wrestling base is solid with good submissions. Lim should look to make it a battle in the clinch and use his size and length to land power knees and short punches. Lim may actually be a harder fight for Saffiedine than Ellenberger despite Ellenberger being one of the best 170-pound fighters in the world. If Saffiedine were to lose to Ellenberger, that would be expected. Saffiedine should be expected to defeat Lim, and there is a very good chance that may not happen. Saffiedine needs to drag the fight out and control with his pace and leg kicks. Lim needs to finish the fight quickly as his huge weight cut will drain him late, especially if this fight creeps towards 25 minutes. Saffiedine has the experience, and he can go 25 minutes, and that makes the difference.
Prediction: Saffiedine
Kubryk’s Thoughts: Ryan’s spot on but the interesting thing is that Lim is a hard, hard slugger. He put down Pascal Krauss with strikes, no easy feat, and is a tough out in his own right. Saffiedine’s best bet is leg kicks and dragging this later into the fight.
Featherweights
Tatsuya Kawajiri (32-7-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. Sean Soriano (8-0, 0-0 UFC)
Tatsuya Kawajiri is one of the most well-known Japanese fighters in the sport today, and while there may be only a few casual fans who know him from fighting Gilbert Melendez in Strikeforce, he is a delight of hardcore fans who are eagerly anticipating him debuting in the UFC. His debut could be a big deal going forward in 2014, and if he can avoid the curse that seems to plague the Japanese fighters in the UFC, he could be a title contender in a stacked featherweight division by years’ end. He meets another debuting UFC fighter, Sean Soriano, coming out of the Blackzillians camp in Florida and riding an undefeated record in eight professional fights. Soriano is a solid prospect, and he is replacing Hacran Dias in this fight, who pulled out due to injury. Kawajiri comes into the UFC on a five-fight win streak, and he is 10-2 overall in his last twelve fights, but he hasn’t competed since scoring a win over Michihiro Omigawa on December 31, 2012. He is 4-0 since moving down to 145 pounds, but he will need to shake off any rust against Soriano. Soriano hasn’t fought since May, but he is coming off of two straight 25-minute decision wins, so he has had plenty of cage time for his relative inexperience. The fact that he comes from a very solid camp will help him out too, but he has a tough match-up against Kawajiri.
Kawajiri is an excellent well-rounded fighter with a good balance of victories. He can finish with his striking, he can find slick submissions, especially with chokes, and he knows how to drag fights into deep waters and score wins on points. Soriano has good jiu-jitsu skills and a solid wrestling base, and he may surprise fans with his willingness to go to the ground with Kawajiri, but he may be able to hang with him there. On paper this is Kawajiri’s fight to lose, but we have seen situations like this plenty of times before. Soriano is young and talented, and while he fights on the big stage for the first time, he knows this is a chance to make a name for himself. Kawajiri has the huge experience edge over Soriano, but he needs to do what many have failed to do before him, and that is prove that Japanese fighters can find good success in the UFC. His age isn’t helping him either, but with the year off to heal his body and recover, he may come into the UFC on a tear. One big thing he needs to show improvement on in his ability to defend from elbow strikes. Those were how he lost to Gilbert Melendez in Strikeforce, and they aren’t legal in Japan, but they are legal here. That could play a huge factor. This is Kawajiri’s fight to lose, but I don’t see that happening, but Soriano has a big chance to score a huge surprise.
Prediction: Kawajiri
Welterweights
Kiichi Kunimoto (15-5-2 (1), 0-0 UFC) vs. Luiz Dutra (11-2-1, 0-0 UFC)
Kiichi Kunimoto and Luiz Dutra will both be making their UFC debuts on this card, and it is the type of fight we can come to expect from these fight cards on UFC Fight Pass, especially the ones that will come from Asian territory. Kunimoto was originally slated to fight Hyun Gyu Lim in his debut bout inside the Octagon, but when Lim was moved to the main event slot to replace Jake Ellenberger, it left an opening that was filled by Dutra. Kunimoto is riding a four-fight win streak and wins in six of his last seven fights. He submitted UFC veteran Edward Faaloloto in his last fight in July. Dutra competed on season two of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” and was the favorite to win the show. He was the first overall pick and won two fights on the show, but a hand injury forced him from the competition. The UFC thought a lot about him to keep him around for the future, and he gets to make his debut on short notice. Dutra hasn’t fought since scoring a submission win in April 2012. In fact, Dutra has only fought that one time since November 2009, but he does boast a four-fight win streak and eight wins over his last nine fights.
Dutra is talented on his feet and has never been truly finished by an opponent as both of his losses have come by injury. He has had a lot of inactivity, so it will be important for him to shake off any ring rust that may accompany him when he steps inside the Octagon. He was the favorite to win TUF: Brazil 2 for a reason, and he has solid power and finishing ability with his hands. Kunimoto is a solid grappler with some good submission skills, and he has won three straight fights by submission. He would prefer to drag the fight to the mat and work on his top game, but Dutra is a well-built welterweight and will be tough to take down to the ground. Dutra has more experience against bigger-name fighters and is the more aggressive fighter, and if he is able to be the one to push the pace of the fight, it will fall in his favor. Kunimoto needs to work in the grappling to win. It is always tough to pick a winner in a battle of newcomers, but I see Dutra’s well-rounded skills leading him to the win.
Prediction: Dutra
Bantamweights
Kyung Ho Kang (11-7 (1), 0-1 (1) UFC) vs. Shunici Shimizu (28-8-10, 0-0 UFC)
We kick off the official main card with a bantamweight battle as Kyung Ho Kang fights for the third time inside the UFC Octagon against the debuting Shunici Shimizu. Kang has two losses in his first two UFC bouts, though his first loss, to Alex Caceres, was overturned to a no contest following Caceres failing a drug test for marijuana. That fight could’ve gone to Kang, as many fans and media members believed that he won the fight against Caceres, but Caceres got the nod from the judges. Kang is coming off of a decision loss to Chico Camus at UFC 164 in August. Shimizu is a veteran of 46 fights after debuting in 2005, and he has fought all over Asia under the ZST, Deep and Pancrase promotions. Like many Japanese fighters, he has a lot of draws on his record, but he enters the UFC on a five-fight win streak after notching a third-round submission win in May
Kang has been competitive in his fights in the UFC, and while the results haven’t gone his way, he has shown some solid output. He is the better all-around fighter of the two as his stand-up skills are better than Shimizu’s, and Shimizu may have some trouble dealing with the style of Kang. Shimizu likes to take the fight to the mat and hunt for submissions, but he is adept to giving up position too easily. He does remain active if he finds himself on his back, and he likes to sweep his opponents. Neither man has fight-finishing ground-and-pound, and neither will fear with their striking. Kang will be looking to notch the takedowns, but he has to establish some solid ground control and display good submission defense. The fighter who can display a solid flurry of offense could take a decision, but it will come down to the takedown game and top control as the fight goes to the judges. Kang’s Octagon experience gives him the edge.
Prediction: Kang
