Athletes
SeokHyeon Ko | Quietly Making Waves At Welterweight
South Korean Sophomore Talks Rookie Campaign, OKC Matchup
Early in his career, SeokHyeon Ko fought with an aggressiveness and ferocity that made his nickname “The Korean Tyson” seem apt, registering six stoppage wins, four in the first round, in his 10 wins, leading to his earning the chance to compete on Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
In that contest, the South Korean welterweight waded deeper into the fight than he had in most of his previous outings, going the distance to earn a hard-fought win over Igor Cavalcanti and claim a place on the UFC roster. Last year in his rookie campaign, Ko showed that his reckless days were behind him, eschewing his wilder striking-heavy approach for a more grappling-focused strategy that produced wins over Oban Elliott and Phil Rowe, both of whom commented on the clear change in tactics from Ko.
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Fittingly, as the 32-year-old readies to make his return to action this weekend in Oklahoma City against Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani, he’s opted to complete the transition from his regional form to his UFC persona by switching his nickname as well.
“The before nickname was 'The Korean Tyson,’ and it was about ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, so I wanted to get my own nickname, not another person’s name there anymore,” Ko said when asked about the shift to his new “Technical” nickname ahead of Saturday’s bout.
It’s definitely a more fitting nom de pugilism for the ascending DWCS grad, as he’s shown outstanding technical skills on the ground in each of his first two wins, having neutralized both his opponents to the point of sweeping the scorecards in both fights.
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While grinding decision wins don’t pull as many eyeballs and generate as much fanfare as highlight reel finishes, beating Elliott and Rowe in consecutive contests as a UFC rookie spoke volumes about Ko’s skills and thrust him into the thick of things in the welterweight division straight out of the gate. Elliott entered on a three-fight winning streak and carrying a ton of momentum, while Rowe had seven UFC appearances under his belt and is known for having one of the more complete skill sets in the division.
Ko turned them both aside while barely breaking a sweat.
“I learned that the training I’ve been doing is not wrong; it’s been the right things to get the wins,” Ko said.
His success and the way he outworked Elliott in Baku, Azerbaijan, last summer ultimately prompted the Welshman to connect with his former opponent while he was spending time in South Korea earlier this year, leading to the two forging a tight bond.
“We fought, and Oban was the loser, so (he) came over with a very gentlemanly manner,” Ko said. “It was a very great experience, and we helped each other a lot. I fight before Oban. I will get the W, and after that, we want Oban to get the W so we can go up together.”
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Though Saturday marks the official start of Ko’s second year competing inside the Octagon, it was originally scheduled to take place much earlier in the year, as he was initially paired off with fellow rising star and Season 8 alum Jacobe Smith in a fascinating matchup on February 21 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Unfortunately, a rib injury forced Ko to the sidelines, resulting in Smith steamrolling newcomer Josiah Harrell, and the two’s paths heading in different directions for the time being.
“I wanted to do that fight a lot, but the injury was very severe,” explained Ko. “I wanted to fight with the injury, but the pain was too much, so I couldn’t do it. For a month, I kept thinking about the fight, regretting (not being able to fight); it was very disappointing.”
Ironically, Smith was scheduled to compete this weekend, with the former Oklahoma State wrestler pencilled into a critical matchup with Kevin Holland before the always active veteran was forced to withdraw, resulting in Smith being pulled from the card.
When asked if he thought about volunteering his services to replace Holland, Ko smiled and said, “If the UFC wanted that fight, I would have done it.”
ATHLETE PROFILES: SeokHyeon Ko | Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani
Instead, he’s remained stationed opposite Lebosnoyani, who followed up his contract-winning turn last season on Dana White’s Contender Series with a split decision victory over Rowe on that same event in Houston in late February.
It was a quality showing for the highly regarded newcomer, one that similarly elevated him straight into the heart of the divisional ranks and showed that he’s ready for a step up in competition. But rather than dissect what Lebosnoyani does well and focus his efforts on preparing for this one fight, Ko opted to center his preparations on himself, recognizing that this fight and every fight at this level is against a highly skilled competitor, and further developing his game is what will serve him best in the long run.
“I didn’t want to think about my opponent too much; I wanted to improve myself as a fighter,” he said. “In the UFC, every fighter is a hard fight, which is why I want to focus on myself and not think about my opponent too much.”
What he has thought about, however, is that each of his first two wins came on the scorecards, and as he readies to kick off his sophomore campaign on Saturday night in Oklahoma City, the more technically minded divisional dark horse is hopeful that he can tap back into some of his old ways and leave the judges out of things.
“I haven’t gotten any finishes in the fights (yet), so I’m looking for a finish on Saturday,” he said.
And from there, Ko is only looking up the rankings with no specific names in mind… save for one.
“Anybody who is above my ranking would be a good matchup,” he offered, giving insights into his second-half ambitions. “And I would still like to fight Jacobe Smith.”
UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs Usman took place live from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on July 18, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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