An exciting, but not all that interesting welterweight battle provides the co main festivities this November 28, 2015 at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea.
The Match Up
Welterweight Dong Hyun Kim 20-3-1-1 NC vs. Dominic Waters 9-3
The Odds
Welterweight Dong Hyun Kim -750 vs. Dominic Waters +600
3 Things You Should Know
1. Stun Gun kind of teetered on being a contender, but is now looking like the Mark Munoz of the division; outclassed with the quickness against the elite.
Kim was an interesting prospect who topped out as an interesting project. At 34 years old, no one is mistaking him for what he isn’t, but for a time there was intrigue to every Dong Hyun Kim bout. These days, that intrigue still exists; it just exists without the status of a contender dual.
The great thing about Kim is that Joe Silva recognizes this; as his QoC (quality of competition) has waned, his ability to finish violently has waxed. Nobody’s gonna forget his win over John Hathaway anytime soon.
Hi @mookiealexander https://t.co/uNjaZtez9P
— papadopoulos (@pdlmma) November 27, 2015
2. Dominic who?
‘Sho Nuff’ to the initiated. He’s spent time with Jackson-Wink MMA. So he’s got a mind for the game. He’s coming off a loss to George Sullivan at the TUF 21 Finale, but has nonetheless improved from his “lay and pray” days:
I’m embedding that link for evidence. Not because it’s worth watching.
3. Should be a decent fight, but only because it should be over quick. The Jordan led Bulls over the Malone led Jazz this ain’t.
Kim was benefited over the years the most from his grappling. With a stout Judo presence, his unique brand of top control (influenced by Judo, crayoned with American wrestling) has paid the bills more than anything.
His striking was never a big part of his game; for a southpaw, he’s not near as effective as you’d expect given his frame. He doesn’t have big power (most of his knockouts came against shoddy competition back in Deep), and he doesn’t fight at range well. Still, he’s creative and opportunistic, and there’s nothing wrong with his mechanics. His kicks are the strongest part of his game; something he proved when used his legs like Ginsu knives against Sean Pierson. He just doesn’t use them enough.
Waters, meanwhile, will try to get this bout to the ground. While he’s improved in small ways, his striking is still too inert and limited to make his top game a real threat. On the feet it’s not a total wash because I think Waters plays a fairly tight defensive game in spite of his limitations. But the more likely scenario is that he can’t anti-wrestle Kim, nor avoid Kim’s array of vertical weaponry.
Prediction
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Dominic Waters is going to be as one sided as you expect it to be. Waters has the vaunted “puncher’s chance”, which is a nice way of saying he can’t win unless he receives either literally or figuratively, a lightning bolt personally handed to him by Zeus. Dong Hyun Kim by RNC, round 2
About the author
