Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at women’s bantamweight strawweight Seo Hee Ham as she takes on TUF 20 competitor Joanne Calderwood at the TUF 20 Finale. Seo “Hamderlei Silva” Hee Ham Hometown: South Korea Age: 27 Height: 5’2” Weight Class: Women’s Strawweight Camp: Busan Team M.A.D. Career Record: 15-5 Key Wins: None Key Losses: Megumi Fujii, Ayaka Hamasaki Background The South Korean fighter began training in kickboxing back in 2004 and has been competing in MMA since 2007. One of her nicknames is “Hamderlei Silva” due to the similarities between her style and that of MMA legend Wanderlei Silva. At the beginning of her career she fought mainly at strawweight, but most recently has served as the Deep Jewels 105 pound champion. Strengths
- Solid fight camp training with most of the top fighters from South Korea
- Veteran fighter with over seven years of fight experience
- Good power in her hands for her size
- Pushes forward and is a decent counterstriker
- Consistently utilizes a leg kick to the outside of the lead leg
- Solid grappling game and good in top control
Weaknesses
- Atomweight in stature; will be severely undersized at strawweight
- Can be pushed around by bigger fighters
- Chin is a question mark
- Takedown defense is a major concern
- Can be controlled on ground by larger opponents
- First time fighting outside of Asia
Matchup with Joanne Calderwood Initially, I was pretty excited to watch tape on Seo Hee Ham. Anyone who holds a nickname inspired by Wanderlei Silva will always pique interest. Unfortunately for Ham, she is in for a significant mismatch in this bout. Ham is a natural atomweight. In that weightclass, her power and striking prowess were too much for most of her opponents. Calderwood has a five inch height advantage and a large striking edge. Calderwood is more technical, has bigger power, and her style is difficult to prepare for. Calderwood’s takedown defense will easily keep this fight on the feet where she will eventually be able to score a knockout win over Ham. It’s difficult to imagine a scenario with Ham winning this match. UFC Ceiling Ham is a confident fighter and is one of the more fun fighters you will see in the strawweight division. The problem she will have is that she will regularly be much smaller than her opponents and will struggle with some of the wrestling-heavy opponents in that division. If the UFC started an atomweight division, she could be a mainstay in the division, but at strawweight it’s difficult to see her stringing together wins. Fight Film Check out Seo Hee Ham in some of her recent fights: Seo Hee Ham vs. Ayaka Hamasaki
Seo Hee Ham vs. Alyona Rassohyna