UFC Fight Night 93 results from last night: Nick Hein vs Tae Hyun Bang fight review, analysis

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight scrappers Nick Hein and Tae Hyun Bang threw down last night (Sept. 3, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 93 inside Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany.

Having won three of four bouts inside the Octagon, Hein has proven himself to be consistent and well-rounded. The German was looking to take the next step and move higher up the division, so scoring the victory here was pretty important. On the other hand, Bang has proven himself a tough action fighter, but he has been unable to win with any consistency just yet. Opposite Hein, Bang was fighting to carve out a spot in the Lightweight division for himself.

The fighters did not get off to a fast start.

After about 90 seconds of absolutely nothing, Hein scored with the first hard punch of the bout. Bang returned with a combination of his own, but the two quickly returned to staring at one another.

At about the halfway point in the round, Bang lost his footing and gave up a takedown. Hein didn’t do much, but he controlled his opponent for about a minute or so, which is pretty significant in a round where absolutely nothing happened.

In his home country, that’s probably a clear round for the German.

Things heated up just a touch in the second round, as it started with a wild exchange. Both men landed, but Hein finished the flurry in the clinch, driving his opponent into the fence.

Throughout the round, neither man threw in all that much volume. However, Hein seemed to push the pace a bit more, and he did score some control with a brief takedown and clinch work.

Still, it was anyone’s round.

The highlight of the third round was when a cut opened on Bang’s eyebrow following an accidental headbutt, which should fill you in to the quality of this bout. Both men continued their low activity game plans, as neither man really took charge of the bout.

Case in point, Hein landed a nasty left hand at about the halfway point in the round, shaking his opponent a bit. However, he did not follow up at all, feinting and moving forward without throwing any punches.

Bleh.

While Hein was awarded the unanimous decision, it was hardly an impressive victory. Hein’s entire game seems to revolve around the threat of his left hand, but his arms aren’t all that long nor his he that fast. In short, he spends a lot of time swinging at air, or not swinging at all.

On the bright side, Hein’s wrestling is still pretty rock-solid. He scored a couple of important clinch takedowns, and he was able to completely stop his foe’s few shots.

To move forward in the Lightweight division, Hein needs to make some serious changes. He’s a physical talent, but he’s not going to succeed as a low volume striker who doesn’t knock people out or commit to takedowns.

Bang’s performance was slightly worse, which cost him the close decision. He simply didn’t open up enough, as his opponent’s few strikes were still more than his own.

A big part of Bang’s problem was his inability to close the distance. Hein does a nice job of backing away and forcing his opponent to walk into punches, but Bang was unable to back his foe up and then land. If he had mixed more low kicks into his game, for example, he may have been able to cut off his opponent and land combinations.

Last night, Nick Hein scraped past Tae Hyun Bang in a dull fight. Can Hein make improvements and continue climbing the ladder?

For complete UFC Fight Night 93 "Arlovski vs Barnett" results and play-by-play, click HERE!