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The UFC 164 Fox Sports 1 prelim card lead of with a battle between two prospects in the bantamweight division when Chico Camus took on Kyung Ho Kang. Kyung was coming of a no-contest (reversed from a loss) against Alex Caceres after Caceres tested positive for marijuana in his post fight drug test. Camus had a setback in his last fight as well picking up a submission loss to Dustin Kimura at UFC 156. Both fighters are still reasonably well regarded prospects and this bout looked to offer a quick boost to one of them.
This is the kind of all action fight that only the lighter weightclasses can really provide. Kyung came out early with his high pressure offense and put Camus on his back. Camus was active from the guard, but still spent most of the first round fighting, but not threatening from his back. The second round was looking to be a repeat with Kang once again securing an early takedown, but Camus was able to hit one of his own midway through the round and did a lot more damage from top control than Kyung had mustered from the same position. In the third, Kyung started to find more fluidity on the feet and transitioned nicely between his striking and his grappling. But he got hit hard midway through the round by a punch that seemed to daze him slightly. He reacted well and swept from the bottom for top control and looked to be riding out the round when he got caught and dropped with a hard upkick in the closing seconds. Camus finished the round with heavy ground and pound. The result: Chico Camus def. Kyung Ho Kang via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
What was the high point?
All the action was stellar, but the moment that really stood out was Camus' last second upkick and ground and pound. Without that damage in the closing seconds he probably would have lost this fight. It showed a great sense of urgency that one rarely sees by a fighter in the third round of a close fight.
What was the low point?
No real low points here. This was a great scrap between two guys looking to hang around in the UFC's 135 lb division for years to come. Camus came out on top this time, but these two could probably fight ten times and split them down the middle.
Where do they go from here?
For Camus this was a big win. He's a reasonably young Roufusport product at 28, but he needed a win here, after losing to Kimura, to reassert his prospect status. He's a very aggressive fighter in all areas, and his active guard made the difference in this fight. I'd like to see him take on Johnny Eduardo or Yaotzin Meza for his next fight to see if he can build a little more momentum.
This is a tough loss for Kyung. While he's been competative and looked great his time in the UFC has so far been something of a bust. He's dropped two straight decisions now and while I don't expect him to get cut he clearly needs to take a step back in competition. I'd like to see him take on the loser of Lucas Martins vs. Ramiro Hernandez Jr. on next week's UFC Fight Night 28.
Watch it now, later, or never?
Watch it now. Great fight filled with good action, really slick grappling and a fun, high pace. Both these fighters have a lot of promise and getting a good look at both of them should be a point of interest to any fight fan.
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