Issue 112

March 2014

There aren’t too many fights you can point to in MMA where the athlete that loses the contest actually comes out ahead of the victor in the court of public opinion. Alexander Gustafsson’s title loss to Jon Jones comes to mind, as does Johny Hendricks’ narrow decision defeat to Georges St Pierre. In my opinion, Hyun Gyu Lim belongs on that list, as well.

The Korean welterweight wasn’t highly regarded entering his UFC Fight Night 34 bout with Tarec Saffiedine. He was a replacement headliner, filling in for an injured Jake Ellenberger, and most people didn’t give him much of a chance. 

Truth be told, most people probably didn’t even really know who he was, save for a few hardcore fans who may have just thought of Lim as ‘that big dude who wears sunglasses at the weigh-ins.’ 

But Lim wound up turning in a memorable performance that earned him a $50,000 bonus check for the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ and likely ensured he’s booked for another big fight in the very near future.

In terms of skill, it was obvious Lim was overmatched. Despite his massive frame, he struggled on his feet against a smaller Saffiedine, who simply utilized fantastic technique in picking apart his opponent in the stand-up game.

As the fight wore on, Saffiedine battered his foe’s lower limbs, and Lim was left hobbling on the woundedlead leg.

After the bout was over, Lim admitted there was some brief discussion about stopping the fight. I must admit, as I watched the action unfolding live from cageside, I thought either Lim’s corner or referee Leon Roberts should’ve stepped in and put an end to the attack, but in retrospect, I’m quite happy they didn’t. Had they done so, the world wouldn’t have learned about Lim’s incredible character as an athlete. 

Not only did Lim survive until the final bell, fighting the final two frames of the bout essentially on one leg, but he almost pulled off an improbable, come-from-behind finish in the final seconds of the 25-minute affair. 

Moments after briefly pausing in the Octagon to let out a primal yell, Lim rushed recklessly forward, going for broke in an attempt to change his fate. It was the type of offense you expect – but don’t always see – from a fighter who is obviously behind on the cards with time winding down. 

He wobbled Saffiedine in the flurry, and had Lim somehow completed the improbable rally, it would’ve been one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history. Instead, Saffiedine hung on until the finish and was awarded a unanimous decision win, and Lim was forced to settle for a loss on his record. However, with the courage he displayed in the losing effort, Lim certainly gained a new legion of fans.

“This was an absolute golden opportunity for me to be featured in a main event,” Lim said after the fight. “As part of the main event, I wanted to put on the best possible performance. That was my number-one goal, and probably the only goal I had. I feel I accomplished that goal.”

It’s a sentiment with which I have to agree. Lim was forced to settle for a loss, but he appears to be in line for another big fight, and he’s poised to play a role in the UFC’s promised Asian expansion. Lim was given an opportunity, and he delivered on it, even in a losing effort. I look forward to the next time he steps in the cage.

UFC’S ASIAN EFFORTS EXCITING

UFC Fight Night 34, which took place at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, marked the UFC’s debut in Southeast Asia, launching what would appear to be an exciting year of expansion for the firm on the continent.

The promotion visited Asia just seven times in the first 20 years of operations, but UFC Asia managing director Mark Fischer said there’s an outside shot the company may match that figure in the next 12 months, alone.

“We’re looking at a couple of events this year in Macau,” Fischer told Fighters Only. “We’re looking, as well, at a new multi-year agreement to come to Japan at least once a year. We’re in discussions with partners in Seoul, Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta. I don’t expect all of these to happen in 2014, but we’ll be coming to all of these places soon enough. Mainland China is also on the horizon.”

The UFC has a deal in place to host multiple events at Marina Bay Sands, as well as The Venetian Macau Resort-Hotel, another property owned and operated by the Las Vegas Sands Corp.

With a multi-billion-dollar firm pledging its support to the company, the UFC appears on the verge of truly unlocking Asia for the very first time. The next 12 months could see the company redefine the market.

By John Morgan, former Fighters Only World MMA Awards ‘Journalist of the Year’.