Preview: UFC Fight Night 165 ‘Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie’
Kang vs. Liu
Bantamweights
NR | Kyung Ho Kang (16-8) vs. NR | Pingyuan Liu (13-6)Advertisement
Kang has had a quietly successful UFC campaign thus far, even though it has not really gotten him anywhere. Signed by the UFC in 2013, Kang was starting to gain some momentum until his mandatory South Korean military service intervened, causing him to miss all of 2015, 2016 and 2017. Since then, Kang has been a highlight of every undercard on which he has competed. He constantly presses the pace and brings the action, and given that his lone recent loss was a split decision against Ricardo Ramos, an argument can be made that he is also been the better fighter every time out. However, “Mr. Perfect” still has not gotten a major step up in competition, though he at least gets a chance to open the main card here against Liu.
Liu is part of the interesting wave of Chinese fighters that has come to the UFC in recent years, starting his pro career as a teenager and developing a strong set of well-rounded skills. He is a powerful hitter, but he has had some issues with his gas tank when opponents turn up the pace, which should be Kang’s main advantage.
It is almost expected that Liu will be able to crack Kang in a few exchanges, but the latter has not been knocked out yet and should start to assert his dominance as the fight goes on. The pick is Kang via decision.
Finish Reading » ESPN Prelims
Related Articles
