Road to UFC 3: Episode 2 Breakdown and Predictions (Patreon)

Featherweight, Xie Bin Vs. Yibugele

Tale of the Tape

Xie Bin
Tianjin, China
26
Five-foot-ten
11-4
Combined opponent's record: 57-31-3

Yibugele
Jiangsu, China
34
Five-foot-nine
24-12-1, 1 NC
Combined opponent's record: 157-114-11

Pros and Cons

Xie Bin

Pros

• Submission threat/Excellent d’arce choke

• Fights long well

• Good wrestling

• Good ground and pound

• Dangerous jumping knee

• Solid jiu-jitsu

• Long jab

Cons

• TDD needs work

• Loose in positions

• Easy to get hit

• Sloppy at times

Yibugele

Pros

• Good footwork

• Precise

• Good takedown defense

• Dictates the pace

• Good left hand

Cons

• Questionable chin

• Vulnerable when rushing forwards

• Hands low

Prediction: The UFC brass obviously wants Bin in the UFC. He fought on the contender series and lost and then on RTU season 1 and he lost. Now he's back to take away from a spot someone else deserved more. Yibugele is also another returning contestant but he's coming in on short notice. Bin struggles badly against even mid-tier guys but with Yibugele that's the level of guys he's been beating. Bin should have this fight covered everywhere but it's tough to feel confident in him.

Strawweight, Ming Shi Vs Ye Dam Seo

Tale of the Tape

Ming Shi
Kunming, Yunnan, China
29
Five-foot-three
14-5
Combined opponent's record: 27-9

Ye Dam Seo
Cheongju, South Korea
32
Five-foot-two
7-3
Combined opponent's record: 18-10

Pros and Cons

Ming Shi

Pros

• Fast hands

• Volume striker

• Strong wizard

• Solid TDD

• Well-conditioned

• Credible wrestling

Cons

• N/A

Ye Dam Seo

Pros

• Good grinder

• Heavy top position

• Submission threat 

• Dominant on the back

• Excellent RNC finish

• Good cardio

Cons

• Repetitive movement 

• Tentative on the feet

• Limited striking 

Prediction: Of all the strawweight bouts in the tournament this is the most even fight. Seo fought on RTU before as a featured fight. Although she lost it was after a nearly three-year layoff and against Josefine Lindgren Knutsson. Shi has a lot of experience but the footage does lack on her. From what I've seen she's a complete fighter that has all-around good defense. I do have Shi winning because her style is perfect against Seo. Seo is a better grinder but she isn't gonna takedown or stifle Shi. Seo doesn't do too much on the feet. She's low-volume and does a lot of the same things back to back. Shi has better hands and throws way more output. I'd actually be surprised if Shi lost this. I got Shit bu decision.

Strawweight, Priya Sharma Vs. Huaxiang Dong

Tale of the Tape

Priya Sharma
Chandigarh, India
32
Five-foot-two
5-1
Combined opponent's record: 9-3

Huaxiang Dong
Shanghai, China
25
Five-foot-five
11-2
Combined opponent's record: 22-21

Pros and Cons

Priya Sharma

Pros

• Good right hand

• Forward pressure

Cons

• Plodding footwork

• Slow

• Low volume

• Lacks setups

• No head movement

• Struggles at range

Huaxiang Dong

Pros

• Good ground and pound

• Submission threat

• Good wrestling

• Solid jiu-jitsu

• Puts hands together well

• Good kicks

Cons

• N/A

Prediction: Dong doesn't have a lot of footage but I watched enough to know she's a bright prospect. Actually, she's one of the better WMMA prospects. I watched a lot of Sharma and I found it hard to find any positives. She has a right hand and comes forward but that doesn't matter when you come in on straight lines and no setups. If she rushes in Dong is just gonna catch her or take her down. On the outside Dong will just pick her apart. This is just a one-sided fight where Hong has this one covered everywhere.

Flyweight, Cong Wang Vs. Paula Luna

Tale of the Tape

Cong Wang
Shanghai, China
31
Five-foot-seven
4-0
Combined opponent's record: 20-11

Paula Luna
Lima, Peru
25
Five-foot-three
5-2
Combined opponent's record: 3-5

Pros and Cons

Cong Wang

Pros

• Uses range well

• Good shot-selection

• Excellent kickboxing

• Explosive

• Good use of the teep

• Covers distance well

• Good vision

Cons

• Hands low

• Slows late in the fight

Paula Luna

Pros

• Crowds with punches

Cons

• Awful TDD

• Submission defense lacks

• Lost off her back

• No technique

• Telegraphs her punches

Prediction: This is a showcase bout for Wang. Wang has the hype because of her background in kickboxing. She has a draw with Tiffany van Soest and a title win over Valentina Shevchenko. She was 8-0-1 in kickboxing and was a two-time gold medalist in Sanda. Wang has already beaten fighters better than Luna in her last two fights. Luna is more of a striker but doesn't do anything notable. I believe her ground game is so bad we could see Wang use her wrestling. It wouldn't be needed because Wang is miles ahead on the feet. This is a setup fight for Wang to find the finish inside two rounds. Anything but that would be a loss in my opinion.