Prediction: Chang Ho Lee via TKO
Chang Ho Lee’s pace is his weapon. From the opening bell, he’s in your face, throwing volume that forces opponents to fight off their back foot or drown trying to keep up. He averages around 5 significant strikes landed per minute while maintaining pressure that doesn’t fade, and even though his striking can look reckless at times, it’s calculated chaos. He throws wide on purpose to close distance, to trap you, and to force you to either exchange or give up ground.
That’s where Timmy Cuamba runs into real trouble. Cuamba is fast and sharp in open space. His jab-cross combination is clean, his footwork is fluid, and when he’s dictating range, he looks comfortable. But his offense is one-dimensional. Nearly all of his strikes are the 1-2 or slight variations of it, and he rarely throws in combination beyond that. Against someone who doesn’t let him breathe, that predictability becomes a major issue. Once Cuamba’s movement gets disrupted, whether by forward pressure or clinch engagement, his striking output drops drastically.
Lee is built to exploit exactly that. He’s not going to play the range game; he’s going to march forward, throw combinations and make Cuamba fight uncomfortable for as long as it lasts. And once the grappling exchanges begin, Lee’s advantage becomes even clearer. His top control is heavy, and he’s aggressive once he gets position. He doesn’t just ride out rounds, he looks to finish with agressive ground-and-pound.
Cuamba’s speed gives him a window early, but it’s narrow. He’ll likely find some success with the straight right while Lee’s closing distance, but as soon as Lee adjusts to the timing, the tide turns fast. Once Cuamba starts getting backed up, his footwork becomes reactive instead of proactive, and that’s when Lee will start piling on volume. Lee’s cardio is elite for the division, and his ability to maintain that high pace while mixing in wrestling makes him incredibly hard to slow down.
Eventually, the relentless forward pressure and nonstop striking will force Cuamba into mistakes. Expect him to secure top position, advance methodically, and unleash brutal ground and pound until the ref steps in.