'Korean Tyson' Ko Seok-hyun hunts fourth straight win against Lebosnoyanis

Ko Seok-hyun (32), known as the "Korean Tyson," is set to chase his fourth consecutive UFC victory.

A protege of "Stun Gun" Kim Dong-hyun, Ko will face "Mufasa" Jean Paul Lebosnoyanis (27, United States) in a welterweight (77.1 kg) bout at UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs. Usman, scheduled for July 19 (Korea Standard Time) at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The fight marks Ko's return to the octagon eight months after his victory over Phil Rowe last November. A February bout against Jacobe Smith had been arranged but was canceled after Ko suffered a rib injury, delaying his comeback. Ko, who is set to marry in early August, has planned to compete before the wedding and leave for his honeymoon straight after.

The matchup pits two Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) alumni against each other. Ko signed with the UFC through the 2024 DWCS, while Lebosnoyanis followed through the 2025 edition. Ko (13-2) is riding a two-fight winning streak after back-to-back victories over Oban Elliott and Phil Rowe. Lebosnoyanis (10-2) also defeated Rowe by split decision in his UFC debut in February.

The bout is a clash of contrasting grappling styles. Ko has practiced judo since childhood and won a gold medal at the 2017 FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships. Lebosnoyanis, a jiu-jitsu black belt, received his early martial arts training from his father, Nersses "Nono" Lebosnoyanis, who studied under Helio Gracie, one of the founders of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Nono served as a coach to Royce Gracie, who won the open-weight tournaments at UFC 1, 2 and 4.

In his previous two fights, Ko recorded 10 takedowns and spent 23 minutes and 25 seconds in dominant control positions across 30 minutes of total fight time. Lebosnoyanis, in his UFC debut, took Rowe down three times and held a dominant position for 5 minutes and 17 seconds.

Ko is a strategist who relies on superior conditioning and grappling to grind out wins — seven of his 13 victories have come by decision. Lebosnoyanis, by contrast, is an aggressive finisher: eight of his 10 wins have ended inside the distance, including five by submission and three by (T)KO.

Ko has sharpened his skills through overseas training camps and by bringing in foreign fighters, working alongside trainer Kim Dong-hyun. He traveled to Ireland to train with former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, and more recently invited former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley to Korea for a training session.

Ko is preparing for the fight under the guidance of Ha-Bas MMA head coach Lee Jeong-won, a longtime collaborator, and alongside teammate Kim Sang-uk, nicknamed "Frogman," the runner-up in the lightweight division of Road to UFC Season 4. He plans to arrive in the United States two weeks before the fight to train at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas and adjust to the time difference before heading to Oklahoma City for fight week.

The main event features a clash between two former UFC champions. Former UFC middleweight (83.9 kg) champion Dricus Du Plessis (32, South Africa) will meet former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (39, United States/Nigeria) at middleweight. Du Plessis is ranked No. 2 in the Meta UFC middleweight rankings, while Usman sits at No. 10 in the welterweight division.