With the UFC on Fuel 8 event, the promotion returns to Japan with hands down their best Fuel card to date. UFC on Fuel 8 will air live in North America on March 2nd (3rd in Japan) at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT, much like a PPV event. Hopefully Comcast customers will get Fuel TV this week. The six fight main card is preceded by the five preliminary card fights on the Facebook stream.
As with all UFC cards we here at Bloody Elbow will be previewing every single fight on the card, starting here with the first two matches on Facebook:
Alex Caceres (8-5) vs Kyung Ho Kang (11-6) [Bantamweight]
Who are these guys?
At this point most UFC fans know who Caceres is, but if you need a refresher here goes; Caceres was a contestant on the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter: GSP vs Koscheck, and was a member of Team GSP. Caceres made an impact on fans with his “Bruce Leeroy” persona and exciting fighting style. He got off to a rough start in the UFC, but Caceres has rallied of late winning his last two fights bringing his his UFC record to 3-3. His most recent victory was a fairly one sided fight with Motonobu Tezuka that somehow was a split decision.
Kyung Ho Kang spent his early career fighting around the Pacific and was selected to be apart of the Road FC Bantamweight tournament to crown their first champion. Kang lost in the opening round but replaced another fighter who was forced to withdraw from the opening round. Kang took full advantage of the second chance and won the tournament, rematching with the fighter who originally beat him in the final. He was then picked to fight Caceres at UFC Macao but an injury forced him to drop out.
What skills do they have?
Caceres is aggressive and creative on the feet. He has long limbs, and when at range will mix together punches, kicks, elbows and the occasional flying knee. Caceres will take things to the ground and there he is actually quite good at catching position and the using strikes to force an opponent to move. On his back Caceres is very aggressive from guard, using his long and flexible legs to threaten triangles.
Kang went through rough patches in his career, as his six losses indicate, but he has come a long way as a fighter. He is fundamentally solid in all phases of the game now. On the feet Kang is calm and collected, throwing crisp strikes with a tight guard. Kang gets fights to the ground with a great double or with exciting judo throws from the clinch. Once on the ground Kang advances position very well and then hunts for the submission.
How do they match up?
Short answer: very well. On the feet Kang’s great speed should match well with Caceres’ wide open attacking style in terms of entertainment. This fight will hit the ground at some point as Caceres’ wildness leaves him open and to Kang’s quick double leg, and in the clinch Kang will likely be able to toss Caceres at some point.
Once on the ground this fight is far from decided. Both fighters have a knack for transitions; for Caceres he is very good at catching submissions or getting to his opponent’s back. And Kang is excellent at controlling an opponent on the ground, then winning the transition to pass guard and getting in position to lock in a submission.
This is a tough fight to call, but I expect it to be a very fun fight. In the end I think the fundamentals and great athleticism of Kim wins out.
Fight Prediction: Kyung Ho Kang by Submission, Round 2.
Hyun Gyu Lim (10-3-1) vs Marcelo Guimaraes (8-0-1) [Welterweight]
Who are these guys?
Hyun Gyu Lim is a large Welterweight fighting out of Korean Top Team. Lim hasn’t lost a fight since 2009 and has been fighting primarily in the Pacific Xtreme Combat. Some MMA fans might recognize the name from the rumor that Lim had a confrontation with Joe Rogan after Lim submitted Rogan during rolling. Lim was set to make his UFC debut at UFC Macao but was deemed medically unfit to fight by doctors the day before the event because of issues making weight.
Marcelo Guimaraes is a Jungle Fight veteran and came into the UFC as the 2012 #2 Bloody Elbow Welterweight Scouting Report Prospect. He came won his first fight in the UFC against Dan Stittgen by split decision, but most fans will likely remember him for grunting his way through the third round.
What skills do they have?
Lim is a tall, strong striker who uses his reach very well with powerful, straight punches. He uses footwork well to keep fighters at distance, will break distance when threatened and uses a check lead hook to discourage his opponents from chasing. Lim also throws kicks to the legs and body, as well as mixing in takedowns. On the ground Lim is able to threaten submissions from the guard and has good ground-and-pound when on top.
Guimaraes is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who has also trained in Luta Livre, and he takes full advantage of that grappling background. His striking is somewhat awkward, but he does actually have a hard kick and a decent jab. The core of Guimaraes game is ground-and-pound though. He takes fighters down and puts a three-round beating on them, or he will take a rear naked choke if his opponent gives him the back, but Guimaraes won’t force the issue. The result is many one-sided beatings, but they can be less than thrilling at times.
How do they match up?
Lim’s grappling is clearly his weakness. He has shown a weak base on top at times, making him easy to sweep, and when Lim ground and pounds he opens up a lot of space for opponents to move. Guimaraes struggles at times to get takedowns but he is very good at forcing a clinch fight. Considering how much Lim cuts to make weight, this kind of fight could be very rough on his cardio.
But if Lim is able to keep things at distance he could very hand the Brazilian his first professional loss with his excellent punching. But even then Lim does get lazy with his low kicks at times and leaves them out for a takedown artist to snatch. Lim certainly has as a chance as it is unlikely Guimaraes will be able to take him down at will, but two takedowns will likely result in a 29-28 win for the Brazilian.
Fight Prediction: Marcelo Guimaraes by decision
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