UFC Macau results recap: Dong Hyun Kim vs Paulo Thiago fight review and analysis

Two welterweights in need of a big win took to the Octagon yesterday (Nov. 10, 2012) as South Korean grappler Dong Hyun Kim fought Brazilian special forces member Paulo Thiago on the UFC Macau main card in Macau, China.

Both Thiago and Kim were coming off devastating first round defeats and both former contenders were in desperate need of righting the ship.

While Thiago may hold some pretty impressive victories on his record, he just couldn't put it together as he was dominated from start to finish by the biggest, stronger and more aggressive Kim.

It all began in the opening seconds with Kim pressing forward and immediately closing the distance for a takedown along the fence. Thiago was simply in the way, a hurdle to be jumped and there was nothing the Brazilian could do about it other than try to defend himself the best he could.

"The Stun Gun" attacked Thiago constantly with guard passes and dominant position, surprising the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt by taking his back and hinting at a fight ending submission.

In both the first and second rounds, Thiago was perhaps saved by the bell after Kim had locked in some pretty tight submission holds.

The special forces member had no answer for Kim's aggression as the South Korean relentlessly assaulted him, working for every takedown and smothering attack he could muster. Kim really turned it on in the final minutes of the fight, putting a stamp on the bout with ferocious and extremely accurate ground and pound in an attempt to open Thiago's defenses up, although he was content to take a dominant decision victory instead.

For Paulo Thiago, this fight was a scary wake-up call, hopefully. After getting brutally knocked out by Siyar Bahurdazada, he was now destroyed just as badly by a superior grappler. The fan-favorite is quickly running out of realms in mixed martial arts where he holds advantages over his opponents and it's starting to look like his confidence has completely disappeared. His takedown defense was completely overwhelmed by Kim and his efforts to turtle and scramble to his feet were thwarted by the South Korean taking his back. There were almost zero moments where he got any offense in during this bout.

It's sad to say, but the once promising welterweight is likely going to be released following his fourth loss in five fights. If he is kept around, perhaps a fight against Chris Clements, Papy Abedi or John Maguire would make sense.

For Dong Hyun Kim, this was as dominant of a performance as he's had in his entire career. He showed no hesitation and was extremely motivated to put on a solid fight from start to finish. He never gave Thiago a chance to breathe, always being on the attack and transitioning from pass to submission to ground and pound with ease. This was a thorough butt-kicking.

Kim has earned the right to fight another solid welterweight on the UFC roster with this thrashing of Thiago. Potential foes include John Hathaway, Jake Ellenberger or perhaps Kyle Noke.

So what did you think, Maniacs?

Did Kim impress you with his complete dominance of Thiago from start to finish? Does Paulo Thiago deserve another fight in the UFC?

Sound off!

For complete UFC Macau results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.