Ko Seok-hyun suffers first UFC loss, falling to Lebosnoyan by unanimous decision

Ko Seok-hyun suffered his first loss inside the UFC octagon on Sunday, snapping a six-fight winning streak that had stretched over three years and seven months.

The UFC welterweight (77.1 kg) fighter lost to "Mufasa" Jean-Paul Lebosnoyan (27, United States) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in an undercard bout at UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs. Usman, held at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Sunday Korean Standard Time. The fight was close throughout, but Ko ultimately surrendered a takedown and a barrage of body shots in the final round to seal his defeat.

Ko, debuting a new nickname "Technical," started the fight on favorable terms. As he had promised before the bout, he pushed the pace with aggressive striking. He mixed jabs and calf kicks to establish an early advantage on the feet, and whenever Lebosnoyan closed the distance, Ko answered with a powerful left counter hook. Lebosnoyan's face reddened under Ko's heavy shots.

Lebosnoyan looked to grappling for a way back into the fight. He worked an underhook to secure a takedown, but Ko quickly returned to his feet. When Ko attempted a takedown of his own, however, Lebosnoyan caught a guillotine choke grip, rolled through and took mount position. Ko still edged the round 25-15 in significant strikes.

Lebosnoyan came out with a different game plan in the second round, following Ko in as he slipped punches and throwing combinations. Ko did well to avoid the first strike but kept getting caught by the follow-up shots. Ko again attempted a takedown, and again Lebosnoyan countered with a guillotine choke. Ko escaped the tight submission and took top position to land his own offense, but Lebosnoyan stood back up and scored a takedown of his own to put Ko on the canvas. The second round went to Lebosnoyan.

The third round opened with an intense exchange on the feet. Ko kept Lebosnoyan honest with his left jab, while Lebosnoyan tagged Ko's face with combinations. Ko landed a left hook counter that visibly hurt Lebosnoyan.

Lebosnoyan then timed a counter takedown off one of Ko's wide hooks and put him down. Ko scrambled back up and attempted a hip throw, which Lebosnoyan stuffed. Lebosnoyan followed with a series of body shots to close out the round. All three judges scored the third round for Lebosnoyan, giving him the unanimous decision and improving his record to 11 wins and 2 losses.

The turning point was advice from Lebosnoyan's striking coach. "Ko has great distance management, so it was hard to hit him, but coach Mateus read something very important during the fight," Lebosnoyan said. "After the first round, he told me that the first and second strikes would miss, but the third one would land."

Lebosnoyan also praised Ko for escaping the tight guillotine choke. "Ko is really tough," he said. "A lot of fighters would have tapped to that submission. I've been doing jiu-jitsu my whole life and I squeeze incredibly hard." He added that the level of competition demands constant improvement. "We're fighting in the UFC," he said. "These things work at the regional level, but not here — you have to keep getting better."

Ko addressed the loss through his social media account. "So many people were cheering me on early in the morning, and I'm truly sorry and disappointed in myself for not bringing back a good result," he wrote. "I will definitely come back and make it up to you with a great performance." The defeat dropped Ko's overall record to 13 wins and 3 losses (2-1 in the UFC). He is set to return to South Korea and hold his wedding ceremony in early August.

In the main event, former UFC middleweight (83.9 kg) champion and current No. 2-ranked contender Dricus Du Plessis (32, South Africa) defeated former UFC welterweight champion and current No. 9-ranked Kamaru Usman (39, United States/Nigeria) by unanimous decision.

The win came in Du Plessis' first fight back since losing the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 last August — a return after 11 months away. His overall record now stands at 24 wins and 3 losses.

Du Plessis dominated with his trademark striking and neutralized Usman's wrestling throughout. His left head kick and right hand repeatedly buckled Usman's legs, and he successfully defended all seven of Usman's takedown attempts.

"I'm back on the winning track — I'm coming for my belt," Du Plessis declared after the fight. "I didn't say this win guarantees me a title shot. But if I put on a performance like that, I deserve a title shot!"

Despite hurting Usman multiple times, Du Plessis resisted the temptation to chase a finish. "My team kept telling me in training, 'Dricus, stay calm — the KO will come whenever it comes,'" he said. "So on Monday night I showed that composure."

Usman accepted the loss with equanimity. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose," he said. "Days when I don't perform at my best are rare, but everyone has those days — and today was mine."