UFC FIGHT NIGHT 34: SAFFIEDINE VS. LIM Date: Jan. 4, 2013 Location: Marina Bay Sands Arena — Marina Bay, Singapore Broadcast: UFC Fight Pass UFC Welterweight Tarec Saffiedine (-175) Profile: Strikeforce welterweight champion Tarec Saffiedine (14-3) enjoyed a steady stream of success on the independent circuit earlier in his career, which led him to training with the legendary Team Quest in California and a stint with DREAM. The 27-year-old Belgian fighter was an alternate in DREAM’s welterweight tournament in 2009 before he was quickly snatched up by Strikeforce, where he posted a 6-1 record since early 2010, capped by a unanimous decision win over Nate Marquardt for the Strikeforce welterweight title on January 12, 2013. Saffiedine is most comfortable on his feet, as he’s a black belt in the Shihaishinkai form of karate, but he uses it as a way to wear down his opponents until an opening in their defense is found, in which case he will go for any submissions when they make themselves available. He has some of the best leg kicks in the game, a great chin, and a great gas tank, and only injuries seem to be holding him back from achieving greatness at this point. UFC Welterweight Hyun Gyu Lim (+135) Profile: Hyun Gyu Lim (12-3-1) has made a splash in the UFC in 2013 with two stunning knee KOs of Pascal Krauss and Marcelo Guimaraes. The 28-year-old Lim is a nasty striker who throws unorthodox strikes from weird positions with massive power in all of them. He also has very slick submissions, and trains with a great camp at Korean Top Team. However, he has shown in his two fights that he’s not very technical and he will need to work on his technique if he wants to become a UFC champion. Lim was originally set to fight Kiichi Kunimoto at UFC Singapore, but after an injury to Jake Ellenberger he has been elevated to the main event and he’ll take on Tarec Saffiedine in by far the toughest fight of his career to date thus far. Opening UFC Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Saffiedine a -175 betting favorite (bet $175 to win $100), while Lim opened as a +135 dog (bet $100 to win $135) at Several Bookmakers. This is a very intriguing matchup for the main event of UFC Singapore and it’s a fight that realistically could go either way. Although Saffiedine is more proven against top-flight competition and is the far more technical striker, Lim has nasty power in all of his limbs and his unorthodox striking techniques seem to work very well for him, as he’s recorded two-straight knee KOs in the Octagon. As well, Lim has been far more active than Saffiedine in 2013 so far, as he’s fought twice while Saffiedine only fought once, back in January against Nate Marquardt. Although Saffiedine looked great in that fight, it was a long time ago and he’s battled injuries since then. Although I want to believe he’s been improving in that time period, I have a feeling he’s been mending up, and if Lim’s improved that much from his last fight in August, he can definitely pull off the upset as an underdog. I am very worried about Lim’s gas tank, however, as this fight is five rounds, which might be the key to picking the winner here.
