Prior to each UFC fight card, Jay Primetown takes a look at some of the key contests at each event. In the latest installment, we look at a strawweight contest between South Korea’s Seo Hee Ham and American Danielle Taylor. Seo Hee Ham (Record: 16-7, -120 Favorite, Fighter Grade: C-) The 29-year old Busan Team fighter holds a 1-2 record in the UFC. She hasn’t had any easy fights in the UFC fighting tough, veteran opposition. All three of her bouts have gone to a decision. This is her first fight since a decision loss to Bec Rawlings in March 2016. The lone South Korean woman in the UFC, Seo Hee Ham is a veteran of mixed martial arts with 23 professional fights. The vast majority of her bouts have taken place in the Pacific Rim region; mainly in Japan and South Korea. Ham’s approach to MMA is aggression. Her nickname is “Hamderlei” for a reason; she insists on pushing forward and throwing the kitchen sink at her opponents. In her three fights in the UFC, she’s landed 4.91 significant strikes per minute. That’s one of the highest outputs in the weight class. She’s a very resilient fighter and able to take a lot of damage without losing that aggression. Ham hasn’t been finished in a fight in five years. She’s not a finisher by any means; zero knockouts and two submissions in her 16 career fights, but she is active in all her bouts. Danielle Taylor (Record: 7-2, +100 Underdog, Fighter Grade: D+) The California native was the King of the Cage Champion prior to being signed by the UFC. In her UFC debut, she faced the much longer Maryna Moroz and struggled to get within range to land strikes losing a decision on the scorecards. One of the smallest fighters in the weight class, Danielle Taylor stands at five feet tall with just a 60 inch reach. Her entire approach to MMA begins and ends with her right hand. She has one of the best right hands in the weight class. As was on display in her UFC debut, if she’s able to land the over hand right she’s capable of dropping her opponent to the mat. Her success in her fights will come down to her ability to land the right hand. On the flip side, she doesn’t combine strikes well and mainly looks for the big one punch strike. With most of the fighters in this weight class being volume punchers, it will be difficult for her to win on the scorecards. Matchup An entertaining strawweight matchup pits American Danielle Taylor against South Korean Seo Hee Ham. While both of these fighters are strikers, they bring much different approaches to the Octagon. Taylor has a very good overhand right that she can land with power. Ham is a skilled striker that lands with volume. While Taylor is dangerous in this fight, Ham is very capable of taking punches and recovering well. She’s only been knocked out once in her 23 career fights. In a fight that will likely go to decision, I favor the one that throws much more strikes and will land much more in this bout. Volume striking is a critical component to success in the strawweight division and that’s the difference in this fight. Ham to win outright (-120) is not much different than Ham decision (+115). With these lines so close together, I recommend just playing the moneyline. Given the approach of both fighters and Ham’s toughness, I really her chances of winning this bout.
