Kang To Face Belcher At UFC 93

by Robert Sargent

One week after finally signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Canadian star Denis "Super Korean" Kang has been slated to debut for the promotion at UFC 93 against the always confident Alan "The Talent" Belcher in Dublin, Ireland.

The rumoured bout, which is expected to be confirmed later this week, provides Kang with an opportunity to compete against a credible UFC middleweight in his long-awaited debut.

Kang (31-10-1, 2 NC) enters the UFC after scoring back-to-back wins to rebound from a pair of disappointing losses overseas. Finally able to pursue his dream of becoming the UFC Middleweight Champion, Kang will face his first test in the cocky and confident Belcher (13-5-0).

Belcher has displayed a flare for the dramatics in his recent fights, with constant showboating and seemingly endless confidence in his abilities. However, he was very lucky to escape with a razor-thin Split Decision win over Ed "Short Fuse" Herman at UFC Fight Night 15. A loss to Kang, especially a stoppage loss, could easily be the end of Belcher's tenure in the UFC.

As the second-best fighter in Canada, next to only UFC Welterweight Champion Georges "Rush" St. Pierre, Kang brings a significant skill and experience advantage into the fight with Belcher. With Belcher already handily defeated by another Canadian, Jason "Dooms" Day at UFC 83, Kang enters the bout with Belcher as an overwhelming favourite.

However, especially with big upsets in recent weeks, overconfidence could be the downfall of either fighter. Unlike Belcher, Kang prefers to let his performances in the ring or cage speak for themselves, rather than showboating or speaking negatively about his opponents. He has stated that a fight with Belcher would be fan-friendly, as both fighters prefer to keep the fight standing.

Regardless of the fight's outcome, Kang's long-awaited UFC debut seems poised to be a stellar one, but he must get past the striking power of Belcher if he wishes to challenge UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva later in 2009.