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Bantamweights
NR | Kyung Ho Kang (17-8, 6-2 UFC) vs. NR | Rani Yahya (27-10-1, 12-4-1 UFC)ODDS: Kang (-117), Yahya (-103)
This should be an enjoyable exercise between two underrated bantamweights. Somehow, Yahya is only now approaching his 37th birthday, as the Brazilian has seemed to be around that age ever since he popped up in World Extreme Cagefighting back in 2007. Owing to that long time in the sport, Yahya’s game feels a bit anachronistic in modern times. He is a submission specialist who falls in love with his striking too much at times—an archetype that feels more prominent from a decade ago. At any rate, Yahya is still effective enough to win a whole lot more often that he losing, racking up multiple winning streaks that have only occasionally seemed to garner him much notice.
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On the other side of the equation, Kang reliably brings the excitement, though “Mr. Perfect” has never been able to find much momentum despite some solid results. Mandatory Korean military service kept him out of action for over three years, and the UFC has mostly been content to bury his fights on the prelims or on overseas cards. It will be interesting to see how Kang’s aggressive, go-anywhere style fares in this one. His ever-increasing focus on wrestling will put him right against the best parts of Yahya’s game, but his pace and aggression may quickly tire out the Brazilian, who has needed to conserve his gas tank more and more in recent years. Expect Kang to do enough to survive the early going, at which point he should be able to stay ahead of Yahya as the Brazilian tires, even though this figures to be a messy fight throughout. The pick is Kang via decision.
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