You Soo-young to face undefeated Canadian newcomer Cody Kovacek... Aiming for 3rd UFC win

‘Yu-Jitsu’ You Soo-young (30) is aiming for his 3rd UFC win against an undefeated Canadian newcomer. You Soo-young, the winner of the Road to UFC Season 3 bantamweight division, will face Cody Kovacek (28, Canada) in the first fight of ‘UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott,’ which will be held at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on the 18th (Korean time below).

You Soo-young returns to the Octagon following his first UFC defeat. He had been on a 5-fight winning streak starting from the opening round of Road to UFC Season 3 in 2024, but lost to Elijah Smith in March via a second-round rear-naked choke submission. This marks his return after a 7-month period of reorganization. As he is in a position where he must avoid a losing streak, the early momentum is likely to decide the match.

You Soo-young said, “It was disappointing to lose the last match, but I gained strength because I was able to show the parts I can demonstrate, such as takedowns, in the first round.” He added, “I have thought a lot about how I need to focus more on the match.” He continued, “I want to show what I learned and thought about through the previous match,” and stated, “I will overwhelm my opponent in both striking and grappling.”

His opponent, Kovacek, is a Canadian prospect with a 9-0 undefeated record. He was the bantamweight champion of the Edmonton-based organization Unified MMA and entered the UFC after securing a 3rd-round KO victory at DWCS last September. This will be his UFC debut. His finish rate is 67%, recording 4 KO wins and 2 submission wins.

Kovacek expressed confidence in knocking out You Soo-young using kickboxing and Muay Thai. He said, “I am confident in my skills,” and “I am confident that I will KO You Soo-young this weekend.” Regarding You Soo-young's grappling, he also said, “You Soo-young's only goal is to take me down,” and “Since I have done wrestling my whole life, I am also confident in grappling.”

While highly evaluating his opponent, You Soo-young made his intention not to back down clear. He said, “I am fighting a Canadian athlete on a Canadian away trip, and since the opponent is also undefeated, I think he is a strong fighter.” However, he added, “There is nothing threatening or concerning about Kovacek,” and “I will win this match and enter the UFC bantamweight top 15 in the future.”

In the main event of this event, UFC welterweight (77.1kg) number 10 ranked Joaquin Buckley and number 10 ranked Mike Malott will face off. Buckley, who was on a 6-fight winning streak after moving to welterweight, has recently recorded 2 consecutive losses, while Malott is continuing a 4-fight winning streak. As these matches involve ranking competition, the future landscape could change depending on the results of both the main card and the undercard.

‘UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott’ will be broadcast on tvn SPORTS and TVING starting from 6:00 AM on Sunday, October 18.

Read the original (Korean)