UFC 125: Dong Hyun Kim Grinds Out Unanimous Win Over Nate Diaz

Dong Hyun Kim worked his way to a unanimous decision over Nate Diaz in their UFC 125 affair. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of the Korean fighter, improving his undefeated record to 14-0-1 with one no contest.

Dong Hyun Kim and Nate Diaz at UFC 125

Kim entered the arena to a the classic PRIDE theme song — a musical selection that has been very popular in the UFC, of late. “Stun Gun” worked towards his strength and took Diaz down at just one minute into the first round. From that position, Kim worked from Diaz’s guard and tried to pass into a more advantageous position. While standing over Diaz, Kim landed a clean right hand that clearly solidified the round for him. Diaz had no answer for Kim for the rest of the opening stanza.

Round two was more of the same from Kim, as he took Diaz down with a clean leg sweep and landed in the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu fighter’s guard. Although he was on his back for a majority of the round, Diaz did well to prevent Kim from getting anywhere passed half guard. Diaz was able to get the fight back to the feet for just a brief moment before Kim brought him back to the canvas.

Later in the round, Diaz transitioned and was able to get Kim on his back, to the delight of the MGM Grand crowd, but Kim scrambled to get away. Because of his ability to control Diaz for a second consecutive round, Kim found himself up two rounds to none heading into the final five minutes of the fight.

Round three had Diaz come back to life a bit, but a controversial knee to the Kim’s head had Yves Lavigne call a timeout. Kim’s left hand was on the canvas when Diaz threw the knee, which is illegal under the unified rules of mixed martial arts. Fortunately, the fight continued since Kim was clearly able to carry on.

Several transitions between the two grapplers ensued, but a failed hip toss by Kim opened up an opportunity for Diaz to land a nice head kick from behind. A clinch from behind also allowed for some punches from Diaz, but it wasn’t enough for the judges, as they gave Kim the nod unanimously.

After the fight, Kim stood with Joe Rogan and seemed to express his dislike for his own performance.

“I wasn’t able to charge my ‘stun gun’ this time,” Kim said following the win. “But my next fight…I’ll charge my ‘stun gun.’”

Regardless of the lack of charge in the “stun gun,” Kim was bold enough call out the welterweight champion.

“My name is ‘Stun Gun.’ I want GSP,” he said.

Diaz, an Ultimate Fighter winner, loses his first fight in his last three outings, but a 3-3 record in his last six fights doesn’t look very impressive. The loss was Diaz’s first since coming up to the 170 pound division.