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In the main event at UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim, former Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine (14-3 MMA; UFC Debut) takes on Hyun Gyu Lim (12-3-1 MMA; 2-0 UFC). This 5 round Welterweight fight caps off the 4 fight main card. The UFC Rankings have Saffiedine as the #10 contender at Welterweight, with Lim unranked. UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim airs live from Singapore this Saturday, January 4, with an early morning fight time of 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT for the main card.
While this is an interesting Welterweight battle pitting Lim's power against Saffiedine's technique, that's not the real story of this card. This event is most notable for where it is being shown. UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim is the first UFC event to air exclusively on the company's new online Fight Pass program. The show will be available in a live stream as it airs in Singapore, which accounts for the early start time here in the US. The UFC is planning a lot more of these international online events in 2014. This will be our first chance to see how it turns out.
How do these two stack up?
Saffiedine: 27 years old | 5'10" | 70" reach
Lim: 28 years old | 6'2" | 79" reach
What have these two done recently?
Saffiedine: W - Nate Marquardt (UD) | W - Roger Bowling (UD) | W - Tyler Stinson (SD)
Lim: W - Pascal Krauss (KO) | W - Marcelo Guimaraes (KO) | W - Ryan Bigler (Sub)
How did these two get here?
Tarec Saffiedine is the final Strikeforce Welterweight champion, having won that belt from Nate Marquardt in a bit of an upset in the last ever Strikeforce fight. It's been a year since that fight, and Saffiedine has been sidelined due to injury since. His original opponent here was Jake Ellenberger, but an injury to Ellenberger forced the switch. Saffiedine is a good technical striker with excellent kicks. What he lacks is power. Of his 8 wins in both Strikeforce and Dream, only 1 came via stoppage. His only Strikeforce loss came against the highly ranked Tyron Woodley. Saffiedine has a lot of potential, and could be a force in the UFC in 2014.
More Bloody Elbow coverage of UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs Lim
Hyun Gyu Lim fights out of Korean Top Team, and is currently on a solid 7 fight win streak. A huge Welterweight, Kim has a size advantage over everyone in the division, but has sometimes struggled with his weight cut as a result. He's a heavy puncher who likes to shove his way in to a fight and throw bombs, focusing much more on offense than defense. He's looked good in his 2 UFC wins, but this is a big step up in competition for him.
Why should you care?
This should be a very nice striking battle, with the potential for a big KO from Lim, and the possibility of either man making a real impression to kick off 2014.
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