UFC Fight Night 66 Date: May 16, 2015 Arena: SM Mall of Asia City: Pasay, Philippines Fight Breakdown: The UFC Fight Night 66 preliminary card on FOX Sports 1 will be featuring a lightweight contest between Guam native Jon “Super Saiyan” Tuck and South Korea’s “The Supernatural” Tae Hyun Bang. Tuck is a -155 betting favorite heading into this contest, with Bang being a +135 underdog at Several Bookmakerss. Jon Tuck (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) last saw action at UFC 178 nearly eight months ago, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Kevin Lee, and after a change in training camps, he hopes to bounce back into the win column in impressive fashion in the Philippines. “Super Saiyan” owns a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is well-versed in the submission game, both offensively and defensively. To compliment his ground game, he is also solid on the feet. He has power behind his hands and is a definite finisher, owning three of his eight professional mixed martial arts victories by way of T/KO, and also four via tapout, though it is worth noting that his latest victory, while a submission, was actually a submission due to strikes, as his opponent Jake Lindsey tapped out when a heel kick to the body devastated him. Tuck’s conditioning has not been great, but I don’t expect it to play a major factor in this match-up, especially considering his opponent is no cardio machine himself. Tae Hyun Bang (17-8 MMA, 1-1 UFC) made his promotional debut against rising 155-pound prospect Mairbek Taisumov and lost the bout via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards, however he bounced back in impressive, highlight-reel fashion in is next outing with a come-from-behind third round knockout of TUF: Nations veteran Kajan Johnson. Off the finish victory, the South Korean looks to improve his winning streak to 2-0 inside the Octagon when he squares off against Tuck this Saturday. He is a skilled striker who possesses very heavy hands, especially for a lightweight. He throws nice leg kicks, and likes to work the inside leg. Bang likes to remain technical and has excellent timing. He throws solid punches, including a nice straight-right. He certainly has knockout power, and could put just about anyone at 155 to sleep if he connects properly. From the tape of him I have seen, I have not seen him engage in much offensive grappling, aside from some ground and pound he did, though that was the result of knocking his opponent down with a punch, and not scoring a takedown. His offensive grappling remains questionable to me, though if I would have to guess, I would say it’s not very good and he would be a fish out of water against a talented grappler. What leads me to say that is the fact that his defensive grappling is atrocious. He has a good base and his takedown defense is decent, but once taken down, he is in trouble. His submission defense is very poor, as he tends to leave his neck and arms out there for his opponents. Gabe’s Call: Tuck by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think Tuck is going to outpoint him on the feet technically, but I think he will do so to set up his takedowns, as I see him outwrestling Bang for the majority of this contest, en route to either a submission finish or a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. He is the superior mixed martial artist heading into this 155-pound contest, and s long as he avoids the knockout blow, he should walk away with the win. Gabe’s Recommended Play: Tuck (-155) 4.65u to win 3u
