South Korea's Ko Seok-hyun suffered the first loss of his UFC career on Saturday, dropping a unanimous decision to Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani in a welterweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs. Usman in Oklahoma City.
All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Lebosnoyani.
Ko, who joined the UFC in September 2024, entered the bout riding back-to-back Octagon victories over Oban Elliott and Phil Rowe. His bid for a third straight UFC win fell short, dropping his professional MMA record to 13-3.
As expected, Ko came out aggressively and looked to keep the fight standing. He controlled much of the opening round with leg kicks and a sharp left jab. Although Lebosnoyani secured an early takedown, Ko quickly returned to his feet and also escaped a standing arm-triangle choke attempt.
Midway through the round, Ko landed a clean right hand and an uppercut. After briefly getting caught in a guillotine choke while attempting a takedown, he escaped the submission, got back to his feet and resumed the striking battle. The opening round appeared to favor Ko.
Lebosnoyani shifted the momentum in the second round, closing the distance behind heavy punches. He again threatened with a guillotine choke as Ko shot in, but Ko calmly escaped before taking top position and landing ground-and-pound.
The momentum changed midway through the round, however, as Ko began to slow. Lebosnoyani connected with combinations and knees that wore Ko down before securing another takedown. He controlled the action from side control and mount, and also landed the cleaner punches during the closing exchanges to even the fight.
With the outcome hanging in the balance, both fighters embraced before opening the third round with an all-out striking battle. Ko relied on his jab and uppercut, while Lebosnoyani pressed forward with kicks and elbows. Neither fighter backed down as they exchanged heavy shots.
The decisive moment came with about 40 seconds remaining. As Ko threw a wide right hand, Lebosnoyani ducked underneath and completed a takedown. Ko quickly scrambled back to his feet but was pinned against the cage, allowing valuable time to expire. In the closing seconds, Ko gestured for a final stand-up exchange, but it wasn’t enough to sway the judges.
The loss snapped Ko's undefeated start in the UFC and halted his pursuit of a third consecutive victory.
(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)
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