Choo Sung-hoon's grit touches UFC Seoul event

Kim Dong-hyun celebrates his first-round TKO victory over Dominic Waters during the UFC Fight Night Seoul at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in southern Seoul, Saturday. / Yonhap

• Published Nov 29, 2015 4:52 PM KST
• Updated Nov 29, 2015 4:52 PM KST

By Nam Hyun-woo

Ben Henderson was smooth, Kim Dong-hyun was dominant and Choi Doo-ho was flashy. But “sexier” was Choo Sung-hoon, whose gritty scrapping at the first live Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night Seoul on Saturday outshone all other victories.

The UFC, one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, has brought its Fight Night event to the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in southern Seoul and sent Korea’s homegrown stars into the Octagon to rile up 12,156 spectators.

The event earlier drew fears that its popularity was deflated following an abrupt change in its card, but the local fighters were full of action during the show to prove Korea is home to quality fighters and fervent crowds.

Of eight out of 11 bouts that night, five victories went to Korean fighters, but the most impressive was Choo, who suffered a 1-2 split decision loss against Alberto Mina.

The UFC nicknamed him “Sexyama,” which goes by his Japanese name Yoshihiro Akiyama. “I don’t know why they gave me that nickname,” he said, but his fight proved more than enough to show why the nickname wasn’t cheesy.

For Choo, who became more familiar to Korean audiences after his various TV appearances, Saturday’s fight was a chance to get away from his image of an attentive father or funny older brother, and prove what he really is -- a formidable fighter. However, the fight, which was his first UFC match in 14 months, did not go as Choo planned.

In the second round, Mina dribbled down Choo and landed some nasty knee combinations. The damage appeared to be staggering, as Choo completely lost his balance and received a terrific pounding. Though the round ended before Choo could be knocked down, it seemed that there was no way for him to recover from the damage.

“I thought the match was over, when I collapsed in the second round,” said Choo during a news conference after the bout.

However, in the third round, Choo bounded back as if he had not suffered any damage. He caught Mina with a straight to the head to knock him to the floor and stayed on the offensive.

However, Mina, who has been undefeated so far, was clever enough to keep the match on the floor. To his gamesmanship, not only the crowd but also Choo turned emotional, with Choo landing solid punches without guarding himself.

The buzzer apparently saved Mina, but Choo’s late assaults were not enough to turn the bout. Though he suffered a loss, crowds ardently rooted for Choo.

“Fans’ voices rooting for me was a big motivation. That was the reason I could fight in the third round,” Choo said. “I cannot turn the result, but I had a good time here. I really appreciate their support.”

The most emotional moment came after fans emptied the arena. Yano Shiho, Choo’s wife and a successful model who enjoys as much popularity as Choo here, came and cuddled with him without saying anything. That was the moment when the curtain closed over perhaps the last UFC fight for the 40-year-old.

Other notable moments of Saturday night were presented by Kim Dong-hyun, who fought a perfect match to beat underdog Dominic Waters with a first-round TKO. Kim took down Waters 70 seconds into the round and spent the rest of the fight pounding him.

"When everyone said I had an easy opponent, I tried to be even more cautious,” Kim said. “I thought this match will go up to 3 rounds but luckily I found a chance early that led to a quicker finish. I will fight my title match next year right here in Korea," Kim said, adding that he wants a fight with Damien Maia.

Young prospect Choi Doo-ho drew keen attention after knocking out Sam Sicilia during an overwhelming 90-second rampage.

“The victory feels amazing and it seems like the hard work paid off,” Choi said. “Before entering the fight, I had thought about finishing him in the first round and that’s what happened.”

In the main event, Henderson faced Jorge Masvidal and filled five rounds of 25 minutes with wrestling and jiu-jitsu to clinch a split-decision win.

“Hats off to Jorge for giving me this fight, who is super tough,” said Henderson. “The hardcore fans know how tough Jorge is. I’m not afraid of hard work so I ask you, was that good enough?”

After the fight, Henderson took his gloves off and placed them on the floor. To this ceremony, questions were raised whether this signals Henderson, whose contract with the UFC expired after the fight in Seoul, may leave the promotion.

“When I retire, it will be retiring in the UFC,” he said. However, he did not turn down the possibility of entering the open market, saying “I know that for sure. But I’m going to test the (free-agent) market.”