Saffiedine chops down Lim at UFC Fight Night 34 in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Former Strikeforce welterweight champion Tarec “Sponge” Saffiedine (15-3) scored a unanimous decision victory over a very game Hyun Gyu “The Ace” Lim (12-4) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 34 on Saturday, January 4 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore.

Many expected the match to be an absolute fire-fight, with both combatants opting to slug it out in the center of the cage as opposed to taking the fight to the ground. The end result did not disappoint.

Both warriors came to fight, storming out of the gates with guns blazing, firing strikes from all angles. Lim, a member of the Korean Top Team who replaced an injured Jake Ellenberger in the main event, got the better of the exchanges in round one with his superior display of boxing and Muay Thai. Lim was even able to floor Saffiedine with a powerful overhand right.

Saffiedine, a native of Brussels, Belgium, frequently changed stances from southpaw to orthodox every minute or so, confusing his Korean opponent. As such, Lim had difficulty gauging from which angle Saffiedine’s kicks were coming from.

In the second round, Saffiedine put the tactic to good use, working away at Lim’s base with inside and outside leg kicks. A bewildered Lim began to get careless, missing wildly with a spinning back fist the just barely grazed Saffiedine’s whiskers. Losing some steam, Lim was starting to be taken apart by the much more composed Saffiedine.

By the third round, Lim’s left leg was a purplish red mess – a result of constant unchecked leg kicks delivered like clockwork.

At this point, the Korean had no legs beneath him and struggled to keep his balance and stay on his feet. Every kick that landed seemed to topple Lim over like a house of cards. Lim’s resilience would keep him in the fight however, as his corner instructed him to let his hands go.

At the sound of the fourth round bell, Lim went straight at Saffiedine, throwing bombs as he swung for the fences. It was a last ditch effort to salvage a win, but Saffiedine was more than content to play it safe and keep a cautious pace the rest of the way. Lim, well behind on the cards, knew he needed a stoppage to win.

The fifth and final round saw Lim taking the fight to Saffiedine on virtually one leg. Saffiedine continued to play keep away, mixing in a head kick that landed with a loud smack across Lim’s head to maintain the distance. As the round drew to a close, Lim managed to unleash a final flurry of Boxing combinations that staggered Saffiedine and nearly stopped him.

But it was just too little, too late for the proud Korean warrior.

All three judges’ scored the fight for Saffiedine, tallying 48-47 on two scorecards and 49-46 on the third.

Post-Fight

In a final display of bravado, Lim appeared before the media at the post-fight presser basically hopping on one leg as his team helped him reach the podium. Saffiedine on the other hand, was not available for interview.

“My corner gave me confidence that I could get it done,” said Lim at the presser, responding to questions about whether his team considered stopping the fight.

“I really wanted to continue and finish it.”

Though Lim lost the fight, it was certainly an instant classic and he along with Saffiedine deserved to be applauded for their efforts.

“This was a golden opportunity for me to compete in the main event,” said Lim.

“I wanted to give the best performance ever and it was the only goal that I had. I feel that I accomplished that goal,” he added.

Both fighters put on a massive display of resiliency just by making it to the final bell. In a sport where emphatic finishes are quick and often, both Tarec Saffiedine and Hyun Gyu Lim showed that all it takes is a warrior mentality, and a refusal to quit, to win the hearts of fight fans whether in victory or defeat.

Filipino Fighters Come Up Empty

Both Filipino Bantamweight combatants, Dave “Scarecrow” Galera of Team Lakay and Jon “The Heat” Delos Reyes ended up losing in separate fights of their UFC debuts.

Galera (5-1) took on local boy Royston Wee (3-0) of Singapore. Before the matchup, pundits pegged the previously undefeated Galera to have the upper hand in both the stand-up game and in grappling, while referencing Wee’s 3-year long absence from mixed martial arts competition to work against the Singaporean.

But Wee’s superior wrestling base and his ability to take Galera down at will earned him the nod of the judges, winning by scores of 30-26 unanimously across the board.

“I am a little disappointed but I will learn from my mistakes,” said Galera, who was born in California but now fights and trains out of Baguio City, Philippines.

“There will be other fights too for me to improve. It’s my first time fighting in such an environment, inside the cage and I had a lot of things in my head,” Galera added.

Despite the loss, Galera vows to come back better and stronger.

“Now that I’ve experienced it, I will adjust to it.”

In the card’s second preliminary bout, 26-year-old Jon “The Heat” Delos Reyes (7-3) from Guam brought the fight straight to his opponent Dustin “The Diamond” Kimura (11-1) immediately as soon as the bell sounded to commence action.

Delos Reyes brought “the heat” to Kimura in a furious attack that bloodied and bruised up his fellow Guam native. Still in the first round, Delos Reyes got caught in an armbar that finished the fight at the 2:13 mark and dealt him a loss in his UFC debut.

Delos Reyes is still young and his UFC career is just getting started, however.

Both Galera and Delos Reyes seek comeback fights, and hold much promise for the Filipino contingency in the UFC. – Rappler.com