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Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:40 pm EST

UFC rookie Kang is in big trouble

By Steve Cofield

The guy has 42 fights under his belt and a jiu-jitsu black belt, but Alan Belcher says Denis Kang, making his UFC debut on Saturday, should be very afraid. Belcher, nicknamed "The Talent", is an intriguiging prospect but he's never shown consistency in seven UFC fights. His striking can be dynamic at times and so can his mouth:

"I heard that (Kang) was coming to the UFC and I had Duke (trainer Duke Roufus) call the matchmaker and see if I could get a hold of him first before he got settled in. I think that's a good time to fight some of the guys, their first time in the UFC."

Neil Davidson from the Canadian Press says, "Be careful what you wish for."

Belcher was destroyed the last time he faced a Canadian fighter, Jason Day at UFC 83. He chalked that up to a poor weight cut. He normally walks around between 210-215 pounds and had to lose 13 pounds on weigh-in day to get to 185.

He thinks Kang will be desperate to take him down because his striking is too good for most UFC fighters to handle:

"If I could fight the guys in the UFC in a Muay Thai fight, I think I would destroy them, it wouldn't even be close. I wouldn't have to hold back. But you've got to worry about the takedowns and stuff like that. My main thing is working the footwork and a lot of boxing. We use the boxing to stop the takedowns and the footwork, and then also to set up the kicks and my clinch and stuff."

Belcher says the work is paying off because he's next to impossible to take down:

"I'm getting to the point where it's hard for anybody to take me down," warned Belcher, a purple belt in jiu-jitsu. "I mean he's going to have to work really hard. If he's on his best day, his best performance, it's still going to be hard for him to take me down at all and then if he does then I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve for him. You never know, I'm might slap a triangle or something on him."

That's an interesting prediction considering that Kang has been submitted just once in 27 fights since early 2003. Davidson always pulls out interesting nuggets. Did you know that Kang turned down a slot on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter? If he was part of that middleweight cast, you'd have to think he would've had a good shot to win. Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian, both now fighting at 155, squared off in the finale.

Photo via CombatLifestyle

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19 Comments

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  1. Steven W
    1. Posted by Steven W Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    those are pretty big words for a guy that lost to jason day and kendall grove....but in his defense i must say that his hands and feet looked great against ed herman although they were lacking the finishing touch/power...even so, herman had no answer for belcher's striking and only one or two crappy takedowns he worked all round to get. i'm predicting kang by submission but he'll have to work hard for it no doubt....even though it was a long time ago he subbed jason miller with a rnc and that's pretty tough to do.
  2. Steven W
    2. Posted by Steven W Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    bottom line is belcher hasn't seen this level of competition before, so we won't know for sure until saturday....hopefully kang gets over the ufc debut jitters as soon as the bell rings.
  3. chicka411
    3. Posted by chicka411 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:53 pm EDT

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    bottom line is belcher has the talent to finish a fight but he gets cocky cause he knows his stand up game is solid and doesnt finish fights. i think if belcher focused and listen to his corner he could actually finish a fight but its all mental with him so who knows. belcher has to want it enought mentally to actually put on a good solid show
  4. cmcc
    4. Posted by cmcc Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:26 pm EDT

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    belcher.................hhmmmmmmm sounds about right to me.
    if anyone could hex themselves this guy just did. he should let his actions speak. better luck next time belcher.
  5. AdamG
    5. Posted by AdamG Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    Kang didn't need the Ultimate Fighter, regardless of whether or not he could have won it. He was already established in Japan and Korea.
    Considering that Belcher lost to Grove and beat Herman by SD, and lost to every other fighter I've heard of, I don't like his chances against Kang - even if he's getting a UFC inauguration. Kang has been inconsistent lately, but is Belcher really good enough to frustrate Kang and force him into a mistake?
  6. jtakeo11
    6. Posted by jtakeo11 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:43 pm EDT

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    Can you say cocky? I hope he gets submitted by something gnarly like an omoplata and gets his arm torn from his shoulder. Who does he have his purple belt from? You can go online and buy a belt, who cares if he's a purple belt. It matters where he got it from.
  7. Ican2
    7. Posted by Ican2 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:39 pm EDT

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    Are you serious???Cocky is right..Should have shut the hell up and did his talking in the cage..Not like he's fought and in convincing fashion beat anyone elite..Pleeeeeze
  8. The Great White
    8. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Come on people. Belcher is saying what is true. He is going to annialate Kang. Believe it!! Then watch out for Kimbo the man Slice to come to the UFC and annialate everyone. There will be fear left in his wake. Kimbo has the fastest hands in MMA and makes peoples ears explode...................................................K i m b o ......... hit s haaarrddd!
    Sorry about that, Vudusup was remoting my cpu again.
    Now, JTAKEO lets not hope for arms getting torn out of sockets and stuff. Belcher needs to motivate himself and I guess this is the only way he knows how. Belcher is good on his feet, but that may not matter if Kang gets him off of them. It "could" be a good fight because of styles. The good Belcher could do some damage, while the bad Belcher will get taken to school. Either way, I am looking forward to seeing Kang in the UFC. Hopefully he won't disapoint like so many before him have.
  9. Steven W
    9. Posted by Steven W Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    and u know what else...we see this over and over again...why is belcher training with roufus? you would think an accomplished striker as himself (so he says) would focus on grappling or at least train at a reputable gym loaded with talent in all aspects....granted he's a purple belt but so am i and a black belt can still WORK me. again, kang by submission.
  10. Ican2
    10. Posted by Ican2 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:39 pm EDT

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    Diddo the Submission by Kane...This should be a fairly easy win for Kane..But heck I picked Wandy to win..;-b
  11. Clint
    11. Posted by Clint Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Ican, if you voted for my friend....Thanks! I appreciate it! -Clint
  12. Ican2
    12. Posted by Ican2 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:39 pm EDT

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    I did like freaking 15 times..Did he win..Dude?????
  13. BearDown
    13. Posted by BearDown Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:23 pm EDT

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    Looking forward to seeing Kang again. Dude can fight consistantly unlike Belcher. Can't stand the trash talk hype machines. It screams low class insecurity.
  14. Nutcracker
    14. Posted by Nutcracker Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:22 pm EDT

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    But wait.. When was it Lesnar was going to hold that seminar on the finer points of boxing/striking??
  15. Steven K
    15. Posted by Steven K Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:26 pm EDT

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    Even if you take out their losses to him, the four fighters Belcher has beat have 5 UFC wins between them, against luminaries like Danny Abbadi and Chris Price. He lost a 5-round decision to Marvin Eastman (admittedly 3+ years ago), Kang knocked Eastman out in under a minute. And Belcher thinks Kang is in trouble?
  16. AdamG
    16. Posted by AdamG Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    BearDown, calling Kang consistent tells me you probably haven't seen him fight since PRIDE.
  17. BearDown
    17. Posted by BearDown Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:23 pm EDT

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    AdamG....... I will take that with a grain of salt but if you are referring to a loss to Mousasi in Dream and a loss to Akiyama after being injured for most of the year before (like 10 month layoff) as inconsistant then you really have unreal expectations of MMA fighters. Before he lost his split decision to Misaki (which he fought that fight with a torn bicep BTW) he had like a 21 fight win streak (1 draw and 1 NC) and had just beaten Gono. Injuries will happen and take their toll on any fighter. That's just the nature of the beast but to say he isn't consistant because of that is a little harsh homes. Plus, didn't in that span of 2-3 losses his girlfriend commit suicide? 21 fight win streak with 1 draw and 1 NC is pretty consistant (plus he has won his last 2 fights) no matter how you cut it. I think he is back healthy and has knocked the rust off. Man. Tough audience.
  18. kahuna69
    18. Posted by kahuna69 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:46 pm EDT

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    I don't care who Belcjer thinks he is or what he thinks he's got in his hands, if Kang's on it's over...standing up, Kang's a mahcine when he's on and I have to agree with beardown, on his recent fights, the dude is a machine and Belcher is headed for naptime, no cookie before lights out either, straight to bed!
  19. dg.lucky13
    19. Posted by dg.lucky13 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:42 pm EDT

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    Belcher lost to Kendall Grove.....? Kang will make this a showcase match for a bigger name fighter.

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