by admin on August 18, 2010 | Comments Off
Choi Hong-man (born on October 30, 1980 in Jeju-do) is a South Korean kickboxer, mixed martial artist and former ssireum wrestler. In Asia he is called “Che Man”. He currently competes in K-1 and DREAM and stands 2.18 m (7 ft 2 in) and weighs between 144.9 kg (319 lb; 22.82 st) and 166.6 kg (367 lb; 26.24 st), the biggest competitor ever to fight in K-1.
On December 31, Choi easily won his first Mixed martial arts fight on K-1 Dynamite in Osaka. He decisively beat former TV star Bobby Ologun in just 16 seconds in what was considered a huge mismatch.
On March 4, 2007, he was knocked out for the first and to this day only time in his career. Mighty Mo landed an overhand right to the chin and Choi was not able to stand up again. In this fight he weighed 165.4 kg (365 lb; 26.05 st), was very slow and many say it was his worst performance.
Choi fought again in MMA against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović on December 31 2008 in Sataima, Japan. Filipovic defeated Choi with multiple kicks to the legs.
He fought retired baseball player Jose Canseco in an MMA match on May 26 for the promotion Dream as part of its Super Hulk Tournament. He beat Canseco in 1 minute 15 seconds. However, Choi would lose in the semi-finals to Ikuhisa Minowa via heel hook at Dream.11.
by admin on August 18, 2010 | Comments Off
Yoshihiro Akiyama (born July 29, 1975), also known as Choo Sung Hoon, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka. He won gold at the 2001 Asian Championships and 2002 Asian Games for South Korea and Japan respectively. As a mixed martial artist he became the 2006 K-1 HERO’S Light Heavyweight tournament champion. He is currently with the US promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship and was victorious in his first UFC bout against Alan Belcher at UFC 100. He is a fourth-generation Zainichi Korean (an ethnic Korean residing in Japan) and acquired Japanese nationality in 2001. Since Japan has a law against dual citizenship, Akiyama’s nationality is Japanese.
On February 24, 2009 it was announced on the official UFC website that Akiyama had signed a deal with the company. Even though he suffered a broken orbital bone during the start of round two, Akiyama went on to beat UFC veteran Alan Belcher at UFC 100 on July 11 by split decision. It was the 1st fight in Akiyama’s career that went to the decision, it was also awarded “Fight of the Night” honors with both fighters receiving a record-setting $100,000 bonus.
Akiyama was expected to face Silva on July 3, 2010 at UFC 116. Wanderlei had to pull out on June 22, 2010 due to fractured ribs suffered in training. Chris Leben was chosen as a replacement. Despite controlling the majority of the fight with effective strikes and solid Judo takedowns, Akiyama appeared exhausted after the first round and lost via triangle choke with just twenty seconds left in the third round. His loss to Leben was his first official loss in five years.
by admin on August 11, 2010 | Comments Off
Kim Dong-hyun (born November 17, 1981) is a South Korean mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) welterweight division. Kim has an undefeated professional record of 13 wins with 1 no contest and 1 draw. He was signed by the UFC after fighting in the Japanese promotion Deep and in the Korean promotion Spirit MC.
Kim made his UFC debut at UFC 84 against Jason Tan, methodically breaking down his opponent and ultimately winning by technical knockout in the third round. With his performance, Kim became the first Korean to win in the octagon. Kim’s appearance drew considerable attention in Korea. One week before the event, a prime time, hour-long special about Kim was aired on Korean television. Though Kim’s bout did not air on the UFC pay-per-view, it aired live on Korean television, and was then replayed twice more before the regular event coverage resumed.
Kim faced The Ultimate Fighter season 7 winner, Amir Sadollah at UFC 114 and won by unanimous 30-27 decision, dominating Sadollah with far superior Judo and Wrestling.
Kim was then expected to face John Hathaway at UFC 120, though he was later replaced by Mike Pyle due to injuries from training.
