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The Road to the UFC, a tournament-style competition for budding Asian MMA talent, will host its Flyweight Division Finale during Saturday's UFC Fight Night. The finalists, SeungGuk Choi and HyunSung Park, will determine which Korean fighter will earn the right to a UFC contract. Check out our UFC odds series for our Choi-Park prediction and pick.
Both fighters find themselves in the finals after winning their first two bouts of the tournament's one-elimination bracket. SeungGuk Choi notched two wins by unanimous decision during his road to the finals, while HyunSung Park notched both a submission and TKO finish. The two showed glimpses of UFC promise and seem to be the most contract-ready out of all the fighters featured in the tournament. It's a shame only one contract can be handed out, but look for these two to turn in a Fight of the Night performance.
SeungGuk Choi is 6-1 in his career. He stands 5'6″ and has a 64-inch reach. HyunSung Park is unbeaten at 7-0 in his career. He stands 5'7″ and has a 66-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Odds: SeungGuk Choi-HyunSung Park Odds
SeungGuk Choi: +162
HyunSung Park: -210
Over (2.5) rounds: -250
Under (2.5) rounds: +188
How to Watch SeungGuk Choi vs. HyunSung Park
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why SeungGuk Choi Will Win
SeungGuk Choi has showed he has a well-rounded game in his short career. The South Korean fighter is a “Korean Zombie” protege and fights with a similar style to that of his mentor. He's capable of taking a shot and likes to walk his opponents down relentlessly. He stands straight up as a striker and is keen to work his wrestling. His striking isn't bad, but he more so uses it to open up takedown opportunities.
Choi does a great job of keeping his opponents down and winning control time on the ground. He'll have to do that against a polished striker in Park. With limited time in the cage, it'll be interesting to see how Choi's gas tank holds up during this fight. If he's looking to wrestle early and often, his cardio will also have to keep up at the same pace to have a chance in this one.
Why HyunSung Park Will Win
Coming in as a moderate favorite, HyunSung Park seems to be the most UFC-ready prospect in this tournament. He has extremely fluid striking and looks like a natural when moving about the cage. He has a very well-rounded game as he can finish fights both on the feet and on the ground. He's displayed his finishing skills throughout this tournament and will look to notch another given the striking advantage he'll have in this one.
While a dangerous striker, Park still has levels to develop when it comes to his fight-IQ. He often leaves himself open to taking big shots and will take risks to land shots of his own. It's worked out thus far, but will become much harder to sustain as he faces real UFC competition. Nevertheless, his ability to grapple once the fight hits the ground will be the difference in this one.
Final SeungGuk Choi-HyunSung Park Prediction & Pick
SeungGuk Choi will almost certainly rely on his wrestling once he realizes he's outmatched on the feet by Park. From there, it'l be a matter of which fighter can control the transitions on the ground. Choi can offensively wrestle his way to a decision here, but I think the movement and striking threat of Park will leave him stifled. I like HyunSung Park to win a potential Fight of the Night.
Final SeungGuk Choi-HyunSung Park Prediction & Pick: HyunSung Park -210
