The UFC stage, which has grown into the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization over the past 30 years since its establishment in 1993, is also steeped in sweat from Koreans. This is a history that many Korean players, such as ‘Stun Gun’ Dong-Hyun Kim and ‘Korean Zombie’ Chan-Sung Jeong, have made by challenging themselves barefoot.
Now, two players have been added to that history. On the 5th (Korean time) at the UFC Fight Night ‘Road to UFC’ held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Lee Jung-young (Ssenjim) and Park Hyeon-seong won the UFC contract by winning the featherweight and flyweight (up to 56.7kg) championships, respectively. (Kim Kyung-pyo Jim) are those names.
Lee Jung-young said, “I wanted to be invited to the UFC right away, but I felt bad because I had to go through some kind of preliminary round. But, when I actually did it, I felt like I was completing myself more while experiencing the tournament.” Park Hyeon-seong, who was the first Korean fighter to compete in the flyweight division, 스포츠토토said, “I learned a lot in a short period of time, so now I will stand out in the UFC.”
As the youngest jiu-jitsu black belt holder in Korea, Lee Jung-young, who has both ground and batting skills, said that he was very sorry for this match. This is because he narrowly won a decision victory over Liza (China), who was about to undergo surgery due to his knee cruciate ligament injury. After the match, Lee Jung-young said, “My plan for the future is to beat Alexander Volkanovski (Australia) next to Dan Ige, Ilia Topuria, Max Holloway,” and said, “It would have been cool if I had won and said, but in my debut match, Keio (KO) There is no other way than to win.
Park Hyeon-seong, who wandered around as a child and finally found his dream in martial arts, also strengthened his will. Park Hyeon-seong, who made his debut two days after being discharged from the military, said, “There are many players with better skills than me in Korea, but my strength is being diligent when opportunities come.”
He shared the same idea that in order to win in the Octagon and lift the Taegeukgi, there is a lot to do outside of the gym as well as exercise. Lee Jung-young worried, “From next year, I plan to go to the United States and train with high-level players even if there are no matches. I have to learn English because I have to be good at interviews.” Park Hyeon-seong, who heard this, laughed and said, “Since I lived in Malaysia when I was young, I think my English is a bit better than Lee Jung-young.” Hani emphasized that he should become a player who coolly prepares not only the language but also the mental (mental power).”