Preview: UFC Fight Night 153 ‘Gustafsson vs. Smith’

Tom FeelyMay 29, 2019


Featherweights

Daniel Teymur (6-3) vs. Sung Bin Jo (9-0)

ODDS: Jo (-150), Teymur (+130)

Frankly, it is a bit of a surprise to see Teymur get a fourth UFC bout, but at least it is a pleasant one. The lesser of the two Teymur brothers is a fun fighter, even if he has not shown much ability to win a fight on the roster. He has not changed much from fight to fight. Teymur has an effective and aggressive power game that lasts him a little over a round, at which point he completely gasses and lets his opponent take over the situation in one-sided fashion. On the plus side, rather than feed “Kid Dynamite” to a boring grinder, the UFC has at least given him a fun opponent in Korea’s Jo.

The “Korean Falcon” fights about how you would expect: offensively potent, defensively lacking and tough as nails. Jo adds the dimension of being a 5-foot-11 featherweight, which allows him to dictate range a bit, even if his fights still descend into brawls more often than not. There are concerns related to Jo’s ceiling since he is there to be hit and will also likely struggle against stronger wrestlers, but he should have an entertaining UFC career for as long as it lasts.

Teymur should pursue a reckless offensive approach and wear himself out to the point that Jo should take over. At the very least, Jo’s lack of defense means that Teymur is more likely to get a win here than against any of his previous opponents, but the undefeated Korean has already proven his toughness and ability to last into multiple rounds, so he should be able to follow the same blueprint as those before him. The pick is Jo via third-round stoppage.

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