When discussing Korean mixed martial arts (MMA) bantamweight, there is a ‘three captains’ that cannot be left out. They are Kang Kyung-ho, Kim Soo-cheol, and Kim Min-woo, former Road FC bantamweight champions.
‘Mr. Perfect’ Kang Kyung-ho became the first ROAD FC champion in 2012 and entered the UFC in 2013, and has been competing in the Octagon for over 10 years. He is ranked second in the UFC Korean fighter’s most wins division with 8 wins (3 losses, 1 null) following Dong-Hyeon “Stun Gun” Kim with 13 wins.
Kim Soo-chul is the first to show off his presence on the overseas stage. He defeated Leandro Issa to become the One Championship Champion in 2012, returned to Road FC in 2014 to beat fighters from the UFC, and then won the Road FC Bantamweight Title in 2017.
In 2019, Kim “Moai” Min-woo beat Mun Mun-hoon with a triangle choke and wrapped the Road FC championship belt around his waist.
Min-woo Kim recently moved up to featherweight, leaving one of the three bantamweight captains vacant, and debates over who can fill the position are in full swing.
While One Championship ranker Kwon Won-il, Road FC ranker Yang Ji-yong, and Road to UFC contestant Lee Chang-ho are being mentioned as candidates, ‘U-Jitsu’ Yoo Soo-young also emerges as a strong candidate along with the rise in public awareness of Black Combat.
Yoo Soo-young is the flagship fighter of Black Combat, a major event that is supported by young people. Born on December 11, 1995, she is 27 years old. She debuted in 2014 and has accumulated 10 wins and 2 losses.
He boasts solid grappling skills as a Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He is strong enough to overwhelm lightweight ‘Bear Fist’ Kim Jeong-kyun on the ground.
In 2019, Aydin Codekov, who had 12 wins and 3 losses, was held by an arm-triangle choke in the 4th round and became the Kazakhstan tournament’Naiza FC’ bantamweight champion.
Yoo Soo-young rolled up his arms to catch up with Kang Kyung-ho and Kim Soo-cheol.
On the 22nd, at ‘BLACK COMBAT VII: CIVIL WAR’ held at KINTEX, Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do, he will start with ‘Big Mouth’ Dong-gyu Kim (30) for the bantamweight title and will accelerate.
Kim Dong-gyu is a veteran who debuted as a pro in 2013 and has produced great matches with sensational blows. Total record 8 wins 5 losses 1 null메이저놀이터. It is a character that adds ‘fun to watch’ with colorful speech, and it is an opponent who can further enhance the value of Yoo Soo-young.
Moreover, in this game, the place of the national team in the match between Korea and Japan is at stake. The winner will represent Black Combat Korea in the match against Deep Japan scheduled for this fall. If you win a head-to-head match against a deep lightweight representative of solid skills, you can prove your international competitiveness once again.
Since 2020, Yoo Soo-young has been self-criticizing herself as one of the top 3 bantamweight divisions in Korea. He confidently said at the time, “I am a fighter who ranks in the top 3 in Korea along with Kang Kyung-ho and Kim Soo-cheol.”
Now, young fighters are entering a full-fledged competition for the top three bantamweight titles in Korea.
Kwon Won-il is demanding a rematch with One Championship champion Fabricio Andrazi, who had given him defeat.
Yang Ji-yong was eliminated from the Road FC bantamweight tournament, but he is drawing a showdown with veteran Moon Moon-hoon, who is about to retire, and is foreshadowing a generational change.
Lee Chang-ho will compete in the road to UFC bantamweight semi-finals on the 28th of next month.
Meanwhile, another title match is scheduled for Black Combat 7. ‘White Bear’ Choi Won-joon and ‘Yacha’ Jun-seo Choi battle for the middleweight title. The full schedule will be released soon.