Summary:
Despite being the only female fight booked for Seoul, this match up of Seohee Ham vs Cortney Casey shapes up to be one of the more exciting prelims and possibly a “Fight of the Night” candidate. Seoul Korea’s Seohee is a technically well-rounded martial artist who’s very experienced in the Asian circuit(Both in MMA & Kickboxing). Though fairing very well in Asia, the “limited rules” implicated by those organizations can attribute to her lack of finishes, as it may also play a factor in this fight. With both women’s last fight being decision losses to Joanne Calderwood, Cortney Casey will have the quicker turn-around since her short notice step up in July.

Despite only being 4-2, Casey has an experienced Amateur career even earning Titles(Tuff-N-Uff Flyweight Champion). And with her only losses coming to top competition, Casey’s aggressive style has garnered the attention of those who follow the sport. Corntey’s consistent pace & pressure is something I see playing a factor in this fight. Coming out orthodox, Casey will circle in distance looking to close-in off counters. Though only having limited footage of her against southpaws, she shows an outside-foot awarenesswhich will be the key factor in the standing portion of this fight.

When it comes to said foot battle and footwork in general, Seo Hee is no slouch. Consistently circling or bouncing in-and-out of range, Ham will look to get her right foot on the outside and fire-off her accurate left hand. Often mixing in healthy doses of kicks, she could steal momentum and even rounds should she stay disciplined. Often parrying(sometimes too much) with her lead hand, Seohee also shows an excellent ability to catch kicks and counter with her left. Casey however, throws her kicks conservatively and often to the legs. This may only further expose Ham’s defensive tendencies as she’ll often over-reach and leave herself available to counters.

With Ham’s hands already low, her over-parrying could be especially costly given Casey’s dangerous hooks. If there’s one thing that’s not conservative about Cortney’s game, it’s her heavy handed hooks that are thrown in volume. Seohee will have to mind this as she may reach to parry jabs that don’t come. Though I give Seohee a technical and slight overall advantage standing, it could all be negated with the size & strength difference in this match-up. Naturally competing at Atom-weight, Seohee shows to struggle with these intangibles against bigger fighters like Calderwood.

Cortney Casey is not only bigger & stronger(for the Strawweight division in general), but her pace & pressure will be gas to this fire if Ham fails to manage it. This perceived advantage should only amplify once this contest touches the mat. Seohee shows much improved counter wrestling but that may not matter with their being so many routes(especially in female fights) that can be taken to the ground. Not the mention Casey’s propensity to pull guard, which can be looked down upon in MMA, but in this case may suit her well. Size difference aside, technically Seohee will leave her legs behind when transitioning which has shown to allow opposition back into fights with submission threats or position reversals.

Ham’s athleticism & composure has gotten her out of those bad spot and many others throughout her career. However it’s in those spots where Casey has shown to thrive as she’ll use leg attacks to reverse positions and take-backs. In summation this is a very close fight, but in said ground & standing exchanges, I feel Casey’s size, durability, and aggression will make the difference. Unless Seohee can shift the momentum early and apply a disciplined game, I believe Casey’s pressure will create an environment where the South Korean will have to succumb.

Official Pick: Casey – Inside the distance

Official Outcome: To be determined.