UFC 125 Preview: The Main Card

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Welterweights
Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim

The Matchup: Say this for Diaz … in a sport where the preferred method to jumpstart a flat lining career is dropping weight, he moves up a division instead.

For most fighters, such a move would not make sense, but Diaz makes it work. That is because his game is predicated on stamina and work rate, instead of physically dominating opponents. As such, the move to 170 from 155 pounds has thus far seen him refreshed, as he has dispatched Rory Markham and Marcus Davis in successive outings.

Kim brings a style almost certain to make for a close decision if it goes the distance. The Korean, like most Diaz foes, will have a wrestling advantage but will likely have to decide when the time is right to take it to the ground, as Diaz’s sweeps and submissions are serious threats. Diaz’s stand-up is progressing slowly but steadily as he matures -- much like his older brother’s did -- and he would be well served to press the action with his busy hands.

Kim is slightly taller than the 6-foot Diaz, which means the Cesar Gracie protégé will have to make some adjustments standing to operate in the pocket, where he likes to score points and use his reach. However, Kim’s stand-up is not likely to frustrate or much less dent the resilient Stockton, Calif., battler, so he will have to take Diaz to the ground at some point.

The Pick: On the ground, Kim rides a narrow boundary between doing enough to keep it there without making a mistake. It should come down to a close decision, with Kim taking it by a hair or two.