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411’s UFC Fight Night 79 Report 11.28.15

November 28, 2015 | Posted by Robert Winfree

Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of UFC Fight Night 79. I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be doing my best to relay all of the action to you just as I see it. To those in the United States who celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of days ago I hope you had a safe and fun time. To any Canadians reading this, I know you celebrated Thanksgiving in October. I need to apologize in advance if this isn’t up to my usual standards but this event starts at 3 am my time and between fighting the remnants of a food coma from left overs and being on the tail end of the seasonal illness I’m just getting my apologies out of the way if I seem off my game this morning. Tonight marks the UFC’s debut in South Korea and they’ve brought a pretty standard Fight Pass exclusive card. The main event is a welterweight clash between two guys more known for their time at lightweight, Benson Henderson still holds the # 7 spot on the UFC’s rankings in that division, but Jorge Masvidal has decided he’s better off at welterweight while Henderson has been a bit more nebulous about his future plans. In fact this is apparently the last fight on Henderson’s current UFC contract and the outcome of this fight will play heavily into the negotiations he has with the UFC or other organizations. In the co-main event Dong Hyun Kim fights in his native South Korea for the first time since 2004 when he won his second professional fight, so it’s likely to be an emotional night for him. Kim was originally supposed to fight Jorge Masvidal, but when Thiago Alves had to pull out of the main event Masvidal stepped up and now Kim will get what should be a near gimme win in his return to Korea. This event is being held in the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea with John Gooden and Kenny Florian on commentary. Well at least it’s a duo I’ve never heard before so hopefully they don’t suck.

The place isn’t packed for the first fight, but there’s a lot of people here and we got a pretty good reaction for the first couple of guys, this could be an awesome crowd.

“Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim is making his UFC debut here and has just one loss in his last eight fights, plus he’s riding a two fight winning streak. Tonight he looks to make a big first impression in his UFC debut. Dominique Steele lost his UFC debut in July of this year when he was stopped by Zac Cummings, here he has an opportunity to get the important first UFC win and spoil the debut of the local fighter.

Welterweight Bout: “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim (13-6-3, 170 lbs.) vs. Dominique Steele (13-6, 171 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Kim is an inch taller than Steele but Steel has three and a half inches of reach on Kim. Circling to start, Kim on the outside and switching his stance. Kim lands a leg kick. Steel lands a left that rocks Kim, Kim to his back and Steele on top but Kim wall walks quickly and we’re in the clinch. Kim spins Steele to the fence but can’t quite finish a body lock and they separate. Kim throws a left high kick that’s blocked. Steele lands a bit of a left, they clinch and start trading in close before Steele gets Kim on the fence. Kim spins Steele into the cage. Steele spins Kim, then lands a hard elbow. Kim fights back and we go full blown wild brawl for a few moments then Steele gets a takedown. Kim sits on the fence and they trade some punches. These two certainly came to fight. Kim wall walks to his feet, Steele lands some lefts to the body then Kim spins him into the fence. Kim lands a bit of a spinning elbow, then as they separate we get time for some tape from Steele’s glove to be cut off, then we get a touch of gloves on the restart. Kim switches to southpaw and lands a body kick. Steele moves forward but gets rocked by a punch from Kim. Kim lands a body kick, he’s liking southpaw apparently, and time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Steele

ROUND TWO: Kim switching his stance early again, lands a right from the southpaw stance. Steele catches a leg kick and lands a right then gets a takedown. Kim has full guard and scoots to the fence looking to wall walk. Kim gives up the back as he stands, Steele landed a right that opened a cut under the left eye of Kim. Kim gets Steele on the fence, Steele reverses him and they trade some body work. Kim spins Steele, lots of position changes in the clinch. Steele lands a left elbow then gets a double leg takedown. Kim has full guard, Steele lands an elbow. Steele lands a couple of more elbows. Kim’s trying to set up a guillotine from guard but Steele is avoiding it and landing elbows. Kim working towards the fence again, Steele doing a good job of landing elbows when Kim’s defense opens up. The round comes to a close with a few more elbows from Steele.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Steele, 20-18 Steele overall

ROUND THREE: Kim circling to start, lands a counter right but Steele gets a big slam takedown that actually badly rocks Kim, then Steele lands a couple of elbows and Kim is out cold.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Dominique Steele via KO, slam and elbows, at :27 of Round 3

Steele gets an interview. He says he wasn’t sure if Kim was out after the slam and he just kept going until the ref stopped him. He says the game plan is always to get takedowns and he just has to avoid getting too much into his own head. He says he loves Seoul and hopes to come back here in the future, then puts over his coaches to close the interview. Credit to Kim, who normally fights at lightweight, for taking this fight and putting in a good first round.

Ning Guangyou is 2-0 in the UFC, he also won TUF: China for those keeping track of that kind of thing, and tonight looks to get his third straight UFC win and earn a bigger opportunity in the relatively open bantamweight division. Marco Beltran had a successful UFC debut in November of last year and a win here puts his name back in the discussion of up and coming bantamweight prospects, and bantamweight is a division that could use a few more prospects.

Bantamweight Bout: Marco Beltran (6-3, 136 lbs.) vs. Ning Guangyou (5-2-1, 134 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Beltran has three inches of height and five and a half inches of reach on Guangyou. Guangyou fighting southpaw, and we get a touch of gloves to start. Beltran misses a side kick to the face. Both men reaching with the lead hand, measuring distance. Guangyou waiting for Beltran to commit to something so he can counter and get in close. Guangyou has a left blocked. Beltran throwing head kicks but they’re missing so far. Beltran lands a body kick. Guangyou misses a couple of punches, he’s struggling with the distance so far. Guangyou slips on a kick, and the kick went into the groin of Beltran who now gets five minutes to recover. Beltran shakes it off quickly and with a touch of gloves we’re fighting again. Both men very cautious so far, doing a lot of measuring and feinting. Crowd getting a little restless, Guangyou having trouble with range and he’s not cutting Beltran off and is instead following him around the cage. Guangyou finally gets Beltran along the fence but he’s not throwing anything. Guangyou lands a left to the body, Beltran catches a kick and gets a takedown as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Beltran but man that was painful to watch

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves to start the second round, I’m hoping the jitters are out of the way. Guangyou lands a counter right and bulls Beltran to the fence. Guangyou tries for a takedown, Beltran slips to his back after missing a knee and Guangyou on top now in the guard of Beltran. Guangyou trying to land rights, Beltran doing a decent job defensively. Beltran tying Guangyou up, Guangyou gets his right arm free and lands a punch. Beltran goes to a body triangle from the bottom. They trade some wild punches back and forth then the ref stands them up, in fairness most of those blows missed. Beltran circling now. Beltran lands an inside leg kick. This is a great staring contenst but a poor fight so far. Beltran just misses a right high kick. Guangyou lands an inside leg kick. This is amateurish from both men, and a painfully uneventful round comes to an end.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Guangyou, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the final round. Guangyou lands an inside leg kick, Beltran misses a right hand. Beltran lands a right to the body. Guangyou lands another inside leg kick. Guangyou lands a left to the body, then they trade inside leg kicks. Guangyou bulls forward and lands a right. Beltran lands a straight right. Beltran throws a front kick that’s caught by Guangyou and Guangyou pushes him to the fence and has the clinch. Guangyou with some body work then a right elbow as they break. Guangyou lands a left, he seems to have found his aggression finally. They clinch and trade some more body work, Guangyou is winning these clinch positions. Beltran lands a knee to the body as they break. Beltran pushes forward and grabs a clinch to land knees, suddenly Guangyou fires back as though they remembered they’re in a fight. Guangyou has Beltran on the fence and is working knees. Guangyou with some punches to the body, Beltran lands a knee to chest as they break. Guangyou gets the clinch again and works some punches to the body. Beltran lands a knee to the head and they trade some more blows in the clinch as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Guangyou, 29-28 Guangyou overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Marco Beltran via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

No complaints, those first two rounds were painful and the real losers are the fans. No interview for Beltran.

Fredy Serrano represented his home country of Colombia in freestyle wrestling in the 2008 Olympics, he also scored a big knockout win in his UFC debut and tonight looks to keep his perfect professional record in tact and at 36 if he wants to make a run in the flyweight division he needs to get this win. Yao Zhikui is 1-1 in the UFC but won his last fight against Nolan Ticman and is after a UFC winning streak tonight with a win.

Flyweight Bout: Fredy Serrano (2-0, 125 lbs.) vs. Yao Zhikui (2-2, 126 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Zhikui is two inches taller but Serrano has an inch of reach. The big difference is age, Serrano is twelve years older than Zhikui. Touch of gloves to get us going, hopefully these two can wake up the crowd after that last fight. Inside leg kicks traded. Zhikui lands a counter right, backs Serrano to the fence with punches but Serrano gets a big takedown and stars landing heavy lefts, after a few the ref stops this. Zhikui might have hurt his elbow on that takedown, because those punches weren’t that hard. Yeah, replay shows Zhikui’s elbow dislocated on that takedown, think Shogun and Coleman if you need a visual.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Fredy Serrano via TKO, elbow injury, at :44 of Round 1

Sucks that was an injury, but those two at least came to fight. No interview for Serrano, likely no translator for him. The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Serrano for his contributions to the evening.

Seo Hee Ham lost her UFC debut to Joanne Calderwood but had an impressive six fight winning streak going before that. Strawweight could always use more contenders, and an impressive win here could set Ham up for a big 2016. Cortney Casey also lost her UFC debut to Joanne Calderwood but had won three in a row coming into that fight and tonight looks for her first UFC win and to make a statement about her position in the strawweight division.

Women’s Strawweight Bout: Cortney Casey (4-2, 116 lbs.) vs. Seo Hee Ham (15-6, 115 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Casey has five inches of height and reach on Ham. Touch of gloves, Ham fighting southpaw. Casey lands an outside leg kick, she’s trying to use her significant reach advantage. Ham lands a left to the face of Casey. Casey circling, misses a combination. Casey lands a leg kick then a straight right. Ham lands a couple of counter lefts. Ham lands a left to the body. Casey lands a right hand, Ham’s doing very little to avoid it. Ham lands a left to counter a leg kick. Casey lands a high kick and lands a quick couple of punches, Ham just ate a couple of those. Ham lands a quick three punch combination. Ham lands a left, they clashed heads there as well. Ham’s got some swelling under her left eye from that collision of heads. Ham catches a leg kick and lands a left. Casey bulls forward, we’ve got a full blown brawl for a few seconds before the end of the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Casey

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round. Ham trying to walk Casey down. Both women pawing with the lead hand, Ham lands an inside leg kick. Ham lands another inside leg kick. Ham gets clipped with a right but lands a hard counter left. We get time after both miss punches, Casey got poked in the eye and will get a chance to recover. Casey takes some time to recover but she’s good to continue and they touch gloves before returning to battle. Casey lands an inside leg kick now. Casey misses a high kick. Ham doing a good job of countering, lands a left then right after Casey misses a right. Ham lands a body kick. Ham lands a left and gets the clinch then knees Casey to the body. Ham has Casey on the fence, they trade knees to the body then separate. Ham tries an inside leg kick that goes into the groin of Casey, she’ll get time to recover. Casey has up to five minutes to recover, she takes her time but is good to continue and Ham apologizes before they restart. Casey lands a bit of a right. Ham dodges a right then lands a left. Casey lands a right and we get a wild flurry from both women as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Ham, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the final round. Casey lands an inside leg kick, Ham returns it. Ham lands a body kick then avoids a kick from Casey. Body kicks traded. They trade, Ham lands a wicked left that wobbles Casey. Ham lands a spinning kick to the body, Casey fires back with a right but Casey is hurt to the body. Ham walks Casey down and lands a body kick then a right hand. Ham has the clinch now, lands a left as they break. Ham lands another body kick. Stiff left and a couple of body kicks land for Ham. Casey is really on the back foot here. Ham with another body kick and they clinch. Ham lands a knee to the body and they jockey for position along the fence. Ham breaks out of the clinch then lands another body kick. Casey misses a right and Ham lands two counters. They clinch again, Ham gets Casey on the fence. Casey spins out of the clinch. Ham lands another left then a body kick. Casey lands a body kick, Ham lands a couple of hooks. They clinch again, Ham has Casey on the fence. Ham breaks the clinch and we get a wild exchange then clinch for the final few seconds.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Ham, 29-28 Ham overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Seo Hee Ham via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Fun fight, Casey just slowed down too much as the fight went on. Ham gets some mic time. She says it’s a beautiful night to get her first UFC win, then says she thought she’d have a striking advantage but Casey surprised her with her technique and power. Asked about her mental state during the fight she says her only thought was that she wasn’t going to lose this fight.

Tae Hyun Bang is 1-2 in the UFC and is coming off of a loss, he really needs a win as three losses in four fights is a horrible spot to be in especially in the talent rich lightweight division. Leo Kuntz lost his UFC debut, but getting his first UFC win tonight against Bang would give him some momentum to close out the year.

Lightweight Bout: Tae Hyun Bang (17-9, 156 lbs.) vs. Leo Kuntz (17-2-1, 156 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Kuntz has three inches of reach on Bang. Touch of gloves to start things off. Kuntz circling, we’ve got some wild exchanges in close and Bang lands a left that drops Kuntz. Kuntz trying to survive, looks for a takedown but Bang grabs a guillotine and starts on the squeeze. Kuntz trying to defend, Bang working on adjusting the grip and angle. Bang bails on the choke, he’s got a cut around the left eyebrow from those wild exchanges. Bang wall walks but his left eye is swelling and Kuntz still has the clinch. Kuntz lands a knee to the groin of Bang, that cut is actually under the left eye of Bang so as long as it doesn’t get deep or swell too much it likely wont stop the fight. Bang trying to walk Kuntz down, he’s falling short with his attempted counter hooks. Kuntz lands a right, Bang lands a spinning elbow. Bang pressuring Kuntz now, he lands a couple of hooks but Bang might have gassed himself out on that guillotine. Bang defends a takedown and lands some knees to the head of Kuntz. Kuntz gets a takedown and Bang sits on the fence. Bang to his knees, Kuntz has a front headlock, Bang back up and they separate. Bang breathing heavily, Kuntz bleeding around the right eye. Bang lands a short right in close. These two aren’t afraid to step in and swing. Kuntz misses a wild right to close the first round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Bang

ROUND TWO: After that crazy first round this will become a battle of who’s got the conditioning now. Touch of gloves for the second round. Kuntz lands a right hand, Bang returns the blow. Bang lands another looping right that wobbles Kuntz a little. Bang trying to walk him down. Kuntz reaches for a takedown that Bang defends. Bang lands a knee to the head, Kuntz gets in on a single leg attempt against the fence, Bang defending it. Kuntz can’t quite finish the single leg and gets Bang on the fence in the clinch. Kuntz pulls out of the clinch. Bang looks very tired, Kuntz seems to have the cardio edge so far. Bang lands a left hook, they trade in the pocket a bit then Kuntz circles away. Bang lands a left hook. Kuntz grabs a knee gets a double leg against the fence and lands in side control. Kuntz gets the back as Bang rolls to his knees. Kuntz can’t get his hooks in, after a bit does get them in and starts looking for the choke. Bang isn’t hand fighting at all, Kuntz has the arm around the chin and is trying to work it under the chin of Bang. Bang to his knees and shakes Bang off of him. Bang lands a right, Kuntz lands an up kick and they resume standing. Bang is dead tired but not going away. Why Kuntz isn’t attacking when Bang has his hands at his waist is beyond me, but time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Kuntz, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: This has been a technical nightmare, but a fun sloppy brawl. Touch of gloves for the last round, Bang is exhausted. Kuntz jabs the body of Bang. Bang working forward, lands a left. Kuntz lands a right. Bang lands a bit of a left. Kuntz tries for a takedown, it stalls out on the fence. Kuntz looking for a single leg takedown now, he spins Bang down but Bang grabs a guillotine as he goes down. Bang has a tight squeeze going, Kuntz trying to elevate his hips to survive and Bang isn’t moving to the right hip and Kuntz finally pulls his head out and lands a couple of weak lefts. Kuntz with some weak punches from the guard of Bang. Bang trying to wall walk, he’s dead tired but is trying to regain his feet. The ref breaks them for inactivity, odd timing, and we’re standing again. Kuntz fails on a takedown. Jabs traded. Bang dives on a takedown and gets Kuntz down against the fence. Kuntz quickly rolls to his knees and spins away from Bang. Bang lands a bit of a right. Bang lands a left hook. Kuntz fails on a low single leg. Bang lands a right, how Kuntz is letting this slip away from him is beyond me. Kuntz lands an uppercut and Bang lands a right as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Bang, 29-28 Bang overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Tae Hyun Bang via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

Kuntz has no one to blame but himself for that, Bang gassed badly and Kuntz never punished him for it. Interview time for Bang. He says he had no idea which way the decision would go but he’s grateful for the win. Asked about getting tired after the first round he says a lot of the fatigue came from a poor weight cut. Again that was a technical nightmare but there’s room for a sloppy brawl in MMA.

Yui Chul Nam is 1-1 in the UFC, he lost a Clucky decision his last time out but had a five fight winning streak going before that and tonight looks to rebound from that disappointment with a win in his home country. Mike De La Torre has just one win in the UFC, though I think he was also on the wrong end of Clucky’s judging in his UFC debut, and is coming off of a loss to Maximo Blanco. If De La Torre is ever going to capitalize on the potential he’s displayed at times he needs to start winning tonight and get some consistency going.

Featherweight Bout: Yui Chul Nam (18-5-1, 146 lbs.) vs. Mike De La Torre (13-5 1 NC, 146 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Torre has two inches of height and reach on Nam. Nam comes out quickly and they trade lefts then Nam shoots a double leg that stalls out on the fence. Nam has a body lock, lands a knee to the body. Torre working some punches and knees to the body. Torre gets out the clinch and they trade wild hooks, these two are full blown Roadhouse trading hooks. Torre gets the clinch on the fence to slow things down, he got the better of those exchanges though. Nam is cut under the left eyebrow, Nam spins Torre into the fence. More jockeying for position, Nam lands a couple of hard knees to the body as they spin. They break and resume throwing hooks then clinching. More knees traded in the clinch, Nam can’t quite finish a trip. Torre pulls out of the clinch and we separate. Nam looks for a single leg, the attempt stalls on the fence and they clinch again. Nam’s left eye is swelling, that’s a bad position for that cut too. Nam and Torre are pretty much even in the clinch, trading position and knees to the body. Torre with some heel strikes to the thigh of Nam and the ref breaks them apart. More missed hooks, Torre lands a left and they clinch again. They end the round in the clinch.

SCORECARD: 10-9 De La Torre

ROUND TWO: I’m shocked Nam never fell down in that first round after seeing some of the replays. Nam eats a left and shoots a double leg that stalls on the fence. Nam working from the body lock, Torre gets the body lock and spins Nam. Nam drops for a takedown, bails on it and resumes clinching. Torre spins Nam into the fence, working some knees to the thigh. Nam tries a trip, Torre keeps his balance. Nam still going for a trip, Torre’s takedown defense is impressive. Nam lands a knee to the body as Torre gets out of the clinch. Nam lands a right hand then shoots a double leg that’s blocked by Torre. Torre has Nam on the fence now, Nam lands a knee to the body. The ref separates them and Nam lands a right but eats a bit of an uppercut. Hard right lands for Nam. Nam misses a takedown and Torre lands a left hook. Nam lands a right and tries another takedown that Torre stuffs on the fence. Nam holding a single leg, Torre threatening to hit a switch and landing some elbows. Nam bails on the single leg and Torre spins him to the fence. Knees traded and the ref separates them. Torre lands a counter left, they clinch again. Torre just landing straighter punches, Nam is a little wild with his technique. They clinch as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 De La Torre, 20-18 De La Torre overall

ROUND THREE: Nam comes out and lands a right then Torre lands a counter left. Torre lands a high knee, Nam is rocked but lands a wild right that gets Torre off of him. Nam now bleeding under the right eye. Torre tries the high kick again, Nam catches it and takes him down but Torre immediately back to his feet and they separate. Torre lands a body kick. Torre sprawls on a takedown from Nam and they separate. Nam’s right eye is swelling as well now, he shoots a low double leg that stalls out on the fence. Torre has some impressive counter wrestling. They jockey for position in the clinch, Nam just can’t get Torre down and the ref breaks them. Nam misses a couple of wild hooks, he’s getting desperate and Torre is landing a counter left hook. Nam lands a left but he’s really struggling. Torre sprawls on a takedown and they clinch on the fence. The ref breaks them after a bit. Torre lands another left in close, he’s really got a feel for avoiding the punches of Nam and landing his counters. Torre shoves Nam off of a takedown attempt. Nam fails on another takedown attempt. Torre lands another short left hook. Nam just wading forward winging punches that aren’t landing as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 De La Torre

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Mike De La Torre via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

I can see Nam stealing the second round, but not the other two. No interview for De La Torre, we’re a tad short on time so he’s out of luck. Giving Nam that fight on even on card is borderline Clucky.

Dongi Yang went 1-3 in his first UFC stint but won his last two fights outside of the UFC and looks to get his second stint off with a win in his home country. Jake Collier is 1-1 in the UFC and coming off of a win over Ricardo Abreu, a win here starts an important UFC winning streak for him and begins realizing the potential he has.

Middleweight Bout: Jake Collier (9-2, 185 lbs.) vs. Dongi Yang (12-3, 186 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Collier has five inches of height and seven of reach on Yang. Yang lands a body kick, he’s fighting southpaw. Yang lands a left as Collier ducks and reaches for the clinch. Collier has the clinch but Yang separates. Collier lands a bit of a right but he’s really off balance with his punches. Collier lands a combination of punches then a stiff right that drops Yang. Collier jumps on top of Yang, Yang quickly to half guard and starts controlling Collier’s posture. Yang to his feet, Collier has the clinch on the fence though. Yang breaks the clinch and they separate. Yang avoids a punch and lands a counter left. Yang lands a left but got poked in the eye so he’ll get time to recover. Collier just had his fingers splayed in the face of Yang. The doc is in to check the eye, he says it’s good and Yang seems to have recovered enough to continue. Yang lands a hard counter left then avoids a takedown. Yang catches a kick and trips Collier down. Yang on top and landing some punches before Collier closes his guard. Collier kicks Yang off and Yang lands some lefts in the clinch. Yang tries a trip but Collier reverses and lands on top in half guard. Yang back to his feet in the clinch, Collier tries to muscle him back down but Yang avoids that and lands some elbows before they stand and separate. Yang blocks a takedown and lands a couple of short punches against the fence as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Collier but that was a close round

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round. Some jockeying for position in close, neither man finding the target with punches yet. Yang lands a stepping knee, tries a takedown but Collier grabs a guillotine as he goes down. Collier’s angle is bad and Yang gets free then lands some powerful punches. Collier tries to roll for a knee bar but Yang standing and landing punches. Collier still looking for the knee bar, he gets on it but Yang defends and lands some more lefts. Collier just turtles up and Yang keeps landing punches until the ref stops it.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Dongi Yang via TKO, punches, at 1:50 of Round 2

That knee bar was close at one point, good win for Yang who gets some mic time. He says this was an important fight for him and he’s very happy to get the win. Asked if striking on the feet was an important part of his game plan he jokes that he was doing whatever he had to to get the win.

That wraps up the preliminary fights, which seemed to have a theme of technically weak yet entertaining back and forth action. Let’s see if the main card continues the momentum the prelims have built up.

Doo Ho Choi is riding a ten fight winning streak, including an impressive eighteen second TKO win over Juan Puig in his UFC debut. Choi looks to extend his winning streak tonight and continue to climb the ranks of the featherweight division. Sam Sicilia is riding a two fight winning streak, he’s been with the UFC since 2012 and a win here would extend his only UFC winning streak and move him closer to being ranked in the division.

Featherweight Bout: Doo Ho Choi (12-1, 146 lbs.) vs. Sam Sicilia (15-5, 146 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Choi has two inches of height and three of reach on Sicilia. Touch of gloves to get things going. Choi lands a short left hook. Sicilia lands a leg kick but Choi lands a counter left then a right and Sicilia goes down for a moment. Choi’s counters are on point. They trade in close again, Choi lands a left and an uppercut. They clinch, Sicilia tires a trip that Choi avoids and they separate. Sicilia lands a couple of short rights. Choi lands a wicked counter left hook, Sicilia drops like a rock and Choi pounces with a couple of perfunctory punches before the ref saves Sicilia.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Doo Ho Choi via TKO, punches, at 1:33 of Round 1

I’m going with Boom! Featherweights after that one. The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Choi for his work this evening. Interview time for Choi, who’s gotten loud crowd support all weekend. He says he was never in danger, even times he might have been the crowd support helped carry him through it. He says it’s been a while since he signed with the UFC but he’s only had two fights and wants to be busier next year, then specifically calls out Tatsuya Kawajiri and says he wants to come after the top ten of the division. Asked specifically about the featherweight title he says he feels his striking is the best in the division. He closes the interview by thanking both of the gyms he trains at and his coaches.

Yoshihiro Akiyama is a long time veteran of MMA but is 1-4 in his last five fights and is coming off of a win over Amir Sadollah, but if he wants to remain relevant in the sport he needs a win here. Alberto Mina is unbeaten as a professional and had a successful UFC debut when he stopped Shinso Anzai in the first round with strikes, and a win here over a name like Akiyama could propel Mina from just another body at welterweight to someone to watch as he continues to improve as a fighter.

Welterweight Bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-5 2 NC, 170 lbs.) vs. Alberto Mina (11-0, 171 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Mina has two inches of height and four of reach on Akiyama. Buffer actually announced Akiyama by his Korean name, Choo Sung-hoon which was pretty cool. Touch of gloves to get us going. Mina circling, he’s trying to measure a right hand and they trade hard leg kicks. Leg kicks traded again, neither man wants to make the first major error of this fight. Akiyama just misses a spinning back fist. Very measured pace from both men. Mina lands a leg kick. Mina lands a bit of a right hand. Mina lands a snap kick to the face. Akiyama lands a leg kick. Mina lands a leg kick but misses the follow up left hook. Akiyama trying to stalk forward. Akiyama lands a left. Akiyama lands another leg kick, Mina lands one of his own. Mina reaches for a double leg, Akiyama avoids it then Mina misses a jumping knee. Rights traded. Mina shoots a double leg and gets Akiyama down, Akiyama rolls and Mina thinks about an armlock from the back as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Mina, but tough to score given how little activity there was

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round. Mina flashing the jab early, Akiyama lands a leg kick. Mina lands a leg kick of his own. Akiyama lands another leg kick then a right hand that gets Mina backing up. Akiyama lands another leg kick then avoids a takedown from Mina. Mina’s lead leg is turning purple where he’s been kicked. Akiyama lands a wicked uppercut, Mina remains upright but that landed flush. Mina lands a bit of a left hook, Akiyama lands another hard leg kick. Akiyama moving forward consistently this round. Mina hops forward and lands an elbow. Akiyama lands another leg kick then stuffs a takedown from Mina. Mina just doesn’t seem to have a plan B here. Mina lands an uppercut and a couple of lefts into the clinch, Akiyama gets him on the fence then pushes away. Akiyama lands another leg kick, then they both flip kicks and Akiyama took one to the going so he’ll get time to recover. Both men were throwing front kicks to the body and Mina’s just got under the leg of Akiyama, accidental and Akiyama works on recovering. Akiyama takes his time but is ready to continue. Akiyama just misses a high kick. Mina lands a left hook. Mina tries a takedown, stuffed but he lands a knee in close. Mina lands a couple of rights and a left, Akiyama drops and Mina tries to swarm him. Mina lands a flurry along the fence but Akiyama is saved by the bell.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Mina with that damaging final flurry, 20-18 Mina overall

ROUND THREE: Well Akiyama needs a finish now. Quick touch of gloves, then Akiyama lands a right hand. Mina misses a couple of wide hooks. Akiyama lands a leg kick. Akiyama lands another uppercut as Mina dropped for a takedown that he then stuffs. Akiyama lands a right hand then a left hook. Akiyama walking Mina to the fence, Mina dives to the clinch but Akiyama spins out without much difficulty. Akiyama sprawls out of a takedown then makes Mina stand up. Akiyama lands a right, Mina might have gassed himself out at the end of the second. Mina shooting and flopping to buy time now. Akiyama lands a left, Mina lands a right. Akiyama looking to unload, lands a right hand. Akiyama lands a leg kick then scrambles to top position as Mina basically pulled half guard. Akiyama lands a series of rights then stands and makes Mina regain his feet. Akiyama lands a couple of jabs. Mina flops to his back again to kill time. Akiyama lands a left hook. Akiyama lands a leg kick, Mina just running out the clock, he flops to his back and Akiyama lands a couple of rights. Mina tries to roll for a knee bar but Akiyama basically ignores him and lands punches as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Akiyama, 29-28 Mina overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Alberto Mina via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

That fight hinged on round 1, 2 and 3 were clearly for Mina and Akiyama respectively. Crowd is really unhappy with that one, booing loudly as Mina gets his interview. He says the low kicks hurt him badly, and he had to adjust his strategy mid fight. He puts over Akiyama and says it was an honor to be on the first UFC event in Korea. Asked what he thought the difference was he says he expected Akiyama’s power and he just avoided the counters and was prepared, then puts over his camp and coaches.

Dong Hyun Kim was supposed to fight Jorge Masvidal tonight, but injuries caused Masvidal to move to the main event and Dominic Waters took this fight on two weeks notice. Kim is 5-1 in his last six fights with that loss to top contender Tyron Woodley and he submitted Josh Burkman his last time out. Tonight Kim looks to rebuild a winning streak and earn his first win in his native South Korea since his second professional fight in 2004. Dominic Waters lost his UFC debut to George Sullivan but tonight has a chance to unseat the top ranked Kim and announce to the world just how good he is.

Welterweight Bout: #7 Dong Hyun Kim (20-3-1 1 NC, 171 lbs.) vs. Dominic Waters (9-3, 170 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Despite being an inch shorter than Kim, Waters has a three inch reach advantage. Touch of gloves, Kim fighting southpaw. Kim tries a high kick that’s blocked and Waters gets the clinch then rides Kim to his knees. Kim back up quickly and working on breaking Waters grip in the clinch. Waters tries to drop for a single leg but Kim threatens with a trip then knees the body. Waters gets Kim on the fence but Kim throws him and lands in the mounted crucifix. Kim with a bunch of lefts to the head. Kim now working on an arm lock, specifically an americana at the moment, then bails on it to land lefts to the face of Waters. Kim with more lefts, Waters is in big trouble because Kim will not be moved from this position. Kim with a couple of elbows now as well as punches. Kim just keeps landing lefts until the ref has seen enough of Waters getting hit in the face.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Dong Hyun Kim via TKO, punches, at 3:11 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Kim for his contributions to the mornings event. Interview time for Kim, who gets a massive ovation. Kim is asked about the late notice change of opponent and if it affected him and his game plan, he says that changes in opponents just happen when guys train hard and he just tries to fight the best he can regardless of opponent. Asked what he wants next he says the loss to Demian Maia was very disappointing and he wants a rematch in Korea.

Benson Henderson is a former UFC lightweight champion but his last fight was at welterweight when he submitted Brandon Thatch in the fourth round, tonight he looks to remain unbeaten at welterweight and further cement his status as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world with success in different weight classes. Henderson is still the number 7 contender at lightweight and another win tonight furthers his fighting legacy. Jorge Masvidal, despite spending much of his Strikeforce and UFC career at lightweight was successful in his welterweight debut last time out when he stopped cezar Ferreira with strikes in the first round. A win over the former champion Henderson would be the biggest win in Masvidal’s long MMA career and potentially move him up the ranks at welterweight.

Welterweight Bout: Benson Henderson (22-5, 170 lbs.) vs. Jorge Masvidal (29-9, 170 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Masvidal has two inches of height and four of reach on Henderson. Henderson fighting southpaw, touch of gloves for our main event. Circling to start, Henderson misses a couple of leg kicks. Masvidal trying to walk down Henderson. Henderson lands a leg kick. Quick one two from Henderson lands, then a body kick. Stiff right from Henderson lands. Masvidal lands a body kick. Henderson lands a left, these two are being patient but not afraid to fire. Henderson jabs the body. Masvidal lands a body kick. Rights traded. Henderson lands a right to the body, Masvidal lands a body kick. Henderson lands a counter right that drops Masvidal then Henderson gets in the clinch as Masvidal got back to his feet. Masvidal lands a left to the body as Henderson breaks the clinch. Masvidal lands a couple of body kicks. Henderson lands a left to the body. Henderson lands a rear leg leg kick, then an outside leg kick. Henderson lands a body kick. Henderson catches a knee but can’t finish a takedown and lands an elbow as they separate. Masvidal lands a bit of a body kick as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Henderson

ROUND TWO: Henderson lands a bit of a leg kick to start the second round. Masvidal lands a body kick as Henderson lands a jab. Henderson lands a jab cross combination. Henderson lands a left after avoiding a knee, Masvidal lands a body kick. Henderson lands a couple of low leg kicks but slips, Masvidal tries to set up a d’arce choke but Henderson back up and they trade in close before Henderson circles off the fence. They clinch in the middle of the cage, Masvidal works Henderson to the fence. Henderson gets a body lock and spins Masvidal to the fence. Henderson lands a couple of shoulder strikes then a few heel strikes to the thigh of Masvidal. They trade knees the body then Masvidal lands a short left as they separate. Henderson lands a low outside leg kick. Henderson lands a jab as Masvidal lands a body kick. Henderson has a high kick blocked then lands a couple of stiff jabs. Henderson grabs a single leg, Masvidal gets to the fence and avoids being taken down. Masvidal tries to roll for a choke, Henderson rolls through it and lands some knees to the head from the front head lock position. Henderson now with some knees to the thigh as Masvidal hangs out on a knee as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Henderson, 20-18 Henderson overall

ROUND THREE: Henderson lands a front kick to the face as the first strike of the third round. Masvidal lands a body kick then an inside leg kick. Masvidal moving forward, eats a right from Henderson. Henderson lands a body kick. Henderson lands a long left to the body, he’s just out working Masvidal. Henderson lands a jab. Henderson lands a right to the body then gets in on a single leg against the fence. Masvidal defending the takedown, Henderson lands a couple of upward elbows. Henderson bails on the takedown and they jockey for position in the clinch. Masvidal trying to get the back standing, Henderson turns into him and Masvidal tries for a standing guillotine but Henderson blocks it. Henderson with some knees to the thigh and a couple of heel strikes to the thigh. Masvidal lands a knee to the body, Henderson returns it but his foot hit the groin of Masvidal and Masvidal will get time to recover. Masvidal doesn’t take much time and we’re back to fighting. Henderson lands a left to the body, Masvidal lands a body kick. Masvidal lands a right, Henderson lands a counter right hook. Henderson lands a body kick, then a knee to the body. Masvidal lands a jab then Henderson just avoids a right. Masvidal lands a body kick. They trade kicks, Henderson took a low one with just a second or two in the round so Henderson gets time to recover. We get time in after Henderson recovers then the round ends. Credit to Herb Dean for handling that situation accurately.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Henderson but the closest round of the fight thus far, 30-27 Henderson overall

ROUND FOUR: Feinting to start the fourth, Henderson lands an outside leg kick. Henderson switches to orthodox for a minute, then back to southpaw and he lands a jab then cross. Both guys just miss in close, Henderson shoots a single leg that stalls on the fence. Henderson with some heel strikes to the calf of Masvidal in the clinch. Henderson with some more heel strikes to the thigh of Masvidal. Masvidal starting to breathe a little heavier. Henderson lands a knee to the body. Masvidal lands an elbow and they separate. Masvidal lands a body kick. They clinch and Henderson drives Masvidal to the fence. Henderson drags Masvidal down but Masvidal quickly back up and we’re still clinched. Masvidal lands a couple of elbows, Henderson lands a right as they break. Henderson times a double leg and gets Masvidal down, Masvidal back up quickly and has the back standing. Henderson quickly to the fence and grabs a kimura to break the grip of Masvidal. Henderson has the double wrist lock, Masvidal able to get a takedown off of it though and lands in the rubber guard of Henderson. Henderson to his knees quickly, Masvidal lands a right to the body as Henderson regains his feet then circles away. Masvidal misses a sloppy wheel kick, he’s a little fatigued. Henderson lands a jab cross then a jumping knee to the chest. Masvidal dodges a jab from Henderson as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Henderson, 40-36 Henderson overall

ROUND FIVE: Touch of gloves for the final round. Henderson lands a low outside leg kick, then a side kick to the body. Henderson lands a left to the body, Masvidal lands a body kick. Jumping knee misses from Henderson but he gets the clinch and starts digging for a takedown. Henderson gets Masvidal to a knee but Masvidal back up, he just wont stay down. Henderson holding a single leg now, landing a few heel strikes. Masvidal tries for the standing guillotine again, Henderson is in trouble and has to drop to his back to avoid it. Henderson now to a knee, Masvidal going for a single leg as Henderson regains his feet. Masvidal has Henderson against the cage, lands an elbow. Masvidal misses a spinning elbow and Henderson looks for a takedown, he starts landing knees to the thigh of Masvidal. Masvidal breathing harder now, tries for switch but Henderson avoids it and lands a hard left as Masvidal scrambles to his feet. Henderson lands a knee, he’s out scrambling Masvidal and takes him down against the fence. Masvidal sitting against the fence, Henderson keeping him pinned and lands a few lefts. Masvidal back up but Henderson is glued to him and drags him back down then gets the ride position. Henderson with some punches to the head and body, Masvidal looking for a takedown from his knees. Henderson sprawls out of that and they end the fight in a kneeling clinch.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Henderson, 50-45 Henderson overall but there were some close rounds including this one

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Benson Henderson via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)

Um, not sure which three rounds could go to Masvidal though he could get three or five but one, two, and four were solid Henderson rounds. Interview for Masvidal, he says he’s disappointed with himself and wishes he had a full camp to prepare for Henderson but says he’ll be back. Henderson gets some mic time now. He speaks some Korean, saying he loves the fans, then goes back to English. He says he can do all things through Christ, gets an amen from the crowd, he says decisions can go either way and he’s grateful for the win. He says this was fun, he wants to keep doing this. Asked about what he plans on doing in the future, specifically lightweight or welterweight, he thanks Masvidal for taking the fight on short notice and puts him over as a tough guy basically avoiding the question. He asks if this was impressive enough, not sure who he aimed that at specifically, and says he hopes to be back.

Alright everyone, that wraps up UFC Fight Night 79. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it. This event will be broken down this Sunday at 8pm eastern standard time on the 411 Ground and Pound radio show, don’t miss it. No event next week, but the week after that is going to be crazy. On the 10th is Fight Night 80, the 11th is the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 22 with Chad Mendes and Frankie Edgar in the main event, then the 12th is UFC 194 with the double title fight main event with Chris Weidman defending the middleweight title against Luke Rockhold plus the big featherweight title fight when champion Jose Aldo defends the belt against interim champion Conor McGregor. Yeah that’ll be a fun week. Anyway until then, please be well be safe and behave and don’t stop checking 411mania for all of your pop culture needs.