Thwack!
Another sharp jab flew in. It wasn't a flicker jab with a lowered stance, nor was it a jab thrown with a high guard.
It was clearly a straight jab, but it was hard to dodge. Naturally. Yu Jung-ak's jab was one properly learned from a boxing legend.
Jab.
The most basic punch to learn.
However, in mixed martial arts, it's not considered very important. There are fighters in MMA who use jabs well.
But not many.
No matter how many jabs you land, taking the fight to the ground once is much more advantageous. However, if you master this jab properly, it becomes a very powerful weapon.
Especially for a fighter with a long reach like Yu Jung-ak, a proper jab becomes even more effective. Moreover, unlike typical wrestlers, Yu Jung-ak has small hands and long fingers.
It's much sharper than a normal jab. A jab that sticks like a bullet.
Additionally, he doesn't throw the jab from the same point every time, but slightly changes the point. Sometimes he lowers it completely like a flicker and then raises it sharply, or he leans his upper body forward and then pulls back.
So many variations are possible with just one jab.
Yu Min-jong feels like he's getting hit by the same jab, but in reality, he's getting hit by a different punch each time. On top of that, Yu Jung-ak mixes in flicker-style jabs, making it inevitably confusing for Yu Min-jong.
However, it's not that Yu Jung-ak has mastered the flicker jab.
The flicker isn't a weapon that can be easily used just by imitating. It's not something you can learn quickly either.
A flicker jab isn't simply a jab that starts from the abdomen. It varies the trajectory to make it difficult for the opponent to time the jab, and above all, it's more powerful than a regular jab.
That's why the flicker jab becomes a very good weapon if properly equipped.
However, it wasn't a weapon that could be easily equipped.
Not only did it require a lot of repetitive practice, but if you weren't naturally strong in the shoulders, you couldn't use the flicker throughout the match.
Even Yu Jung-ak could only use it consecutively twice at most. Any more than that would strain his shoulders. So Yu Jung-ak was toying with Yu Min-jong by throwing regular jabs and occasionally mixing in a flicker.
A veteran boxer would have known that Yu Jung-ak's flicker wasn't properly executed, but right now, Yu Jung-ak's flicker was working on Yu Min-jong.
Thwack!
Yu Min-jong threw a front leg middle kick at Yu Jung-ak. Yu Jung-ak caught the kick, and Yu Min-jong stepped back to regain his balance.
Yu Min-jong was waiting for Yu Jung-ak to come in with wrestling. But Yu Jung-ak didn't. While holding one of Yu Min-jong's feet, he threw another left jab.
Thwack!
As the jab landed in a fixed position, Yu Min-jong's nose started bleeding. It's not a boxing glove, but an open finger glove.
Naturally, even a jab had an impact.
Boxing gloves deliver a surface impact, which often results in KO or unconscious punches. It's because the brain shakes.
On the other hand, open finger gloves deliver a harder, narrower point of impact.
They could cause external wounds more easily.
'This bastard's stamina...'
Yu Min-jong pulled his foot back and lowered his stance again. When Yu Jung-ak saw Yu Min-jong's nosebleed, he started breathing heavily again. Less intense breathing than before.
'Was he recovering?'
Yu Min-jong couldn't help but be confused. If Yu Jung-ak had been deceiving him, there was no need to only throw jabs.
It's advantageous to come in aggressively after a jab. But Yu Jung-ak was thoroughly keeping his distance while throwing jabs. As if trying to recover his stamina. Plus, he was breathing heavily, so Yu Min-jong's confusion only intensified.
'His stamina is depleted. He's putting on a show to recover!'
Yu Min-jong believed in his judgment.
Of course he had to. Yu Jung-ak was thoroughly playing with Yu Min-jong.
Thwack
Another jab landed.
Yu Min-jong was going crazy. When he tried to dodge by increasing the distance, the jab came in closer. But if he completely widened the distance, it felt like he was giving Yu Jung-ak time to recover, which was frustrating. Yu Min-jong tried to respond to the jabs by raising his guard high, but then low kicks and middle kicks came flying in.
With the advantage in reach and size, Yu Jung-ak was thoroughly utilizing it. Just like Yu Min-jong had done in the past.
Yu Min-jong had never faced an opponent with a longer reach than him. That's why he was so flustered by Yu Jung-ak's jabs.
To a third party, it would look like Yu Min-jong had suddenly become stupid.
Why can't he dodge those jabs?
However, this could be considered a limitation of MMA fighters. The answer comes when you look at how top-class strikers avoid their opponent's attacks.
Especially for things like jabs, top-class strikers avoid them with minimal head movement. Almost just a nod of the head.
This wasn't a matter of talent, but required repeated practice.
However, Yu Min-jong wasn't from a striking background and hadn't practiced striking from the basics like that. His reach had always been longer than his opponents', so there was no need to practice such head movement. He could just slightly step back and extend his hand, and the opponent's punch wouldn't reach.
But Yu Jung-ak had a longer reach than him and had practiced jabs to a high level. The jab that flew in like a spring had more damage than expected when it landed.
Above all, Yu Min-jong's face was swelling up.
The friction that occurs in the process of quickly attacking and retracting.
That friction damages the skin and causes swelling.
Yu Jung-ak looked at the time. There was still time left.
1 minute left in the 3rd round.
Now it was time to throw the bait again.
[Ah! Yu Min-jong's right hook landed!]
Yu Min-jong knew. That the right hook didn't land properly. His best hook had caught Yu Jung-ak's wrist.
But Yu Jung-ak stepped back from that punch. It looked like he was staggering from the impact to anyone watching. Yu Min-jong rushed at Yu Jung-ak with a doubtful expression.
Yu Min-jong threw another right Superman punch at the retreating Yu Jung-ak. Yu Jung-ak lowered his stance, grabbed Yu Min-jong's waist, and took him down.
Takedown!
Yu Min-jong grimaced and tried to protect his upper body. He expected pounding to come soon. But the pounding didn't come.
Yu Jung-ak clung tightly to Yu Min-jong and breathed heavily.
The commentators were also saying that Yu Jung-ak was tired.
And so, Yu Min-jong was completely falling for Yu Jung-ak's deception.
The third round ended in a ground situation.
Yu Jung-ak deliberately got up slowly and went to his corner.
"Hey. You're not really exhausted, are you?"
Oh Jung-ryong asked.
"Ah! Come on. Why are you saying weird things when it's going well?"
"You really have talent. How about ending it in the next round?"
"Are you crazy? After all the effort to create this opportunity. We need to go to the 5th round. Let's do it one more time."
Yu Jung-ak grinned.
Looking at the content of the match, Yu Jung-ak had been staggering since the 2nd round.
However, Yu Jung-ak had landed far more effective strikes. There were almost no punches that landed cleanly on his face. Yu Jung-ak's face was as clean as when he entered, while Yu Min-jong was a mess.
His nose was bleeding, and his upper lip was swollen as if he had an allergic reaction.
There was a lump on his eyebrow and a slightly torn wound on his cheekbone. It looked like he had been one-sidedly beaten to anyone watching.
But looking at the content of the match, Yu Min-jong wasn't doing badly. Yu Min-jong was always the one pressuring, and Yu Jung-ak was the one consistently retreating.
"Looks like his stamina is completely drained. Finish it in the next round. Just clinch and take him down. He has good eyes. Decide it on the ground."
"Strangely, I can't land strikes."
"He has longer reach and bigger size. That's why he has more space to dodge. There's no way to deal with him in standing right now, so go to the ground. He's tired. If we go to points, we don't know. He landed a lot of jabs."
"That bastard. Was he thinking of ending it on points?"
Yu Min-jong said after drinking water.
"Show him how hellish the 4th and 5th rounds can be."
"I'll definitely score points. No, I'll finish it."
Yu Min-jong talked confidently with his team. However, that was just his wishful thinking. He was now falling completely into the swamp Yu Jung-ak had dug.
Oh Jung-ryong first devised this trap, but Yu Jung-ak had dug it deeper and stickier. Yu Jung-ak didn't just intend to turn Yu Min-jong's face into a bloody mess.
Yu Jung-ak remembered what Yu Min-jong had said to Oh Jung-ryong on the day of their match. Yu Jung-ak intended to shatter Yu Min-jong's mentality as well.
The 4th round started.
As it was a match that attracted public attention, the fans were enjoying the game. In fact, the content of the match was interesting.
There weren't any slugfests, but there was the excitement of back-and-forth action. Above all, the ground exchanges didn't last too long.
So the fans couldn't help but watch with interest. Yu Min-jong trying to get in, and Yu Jung-ak blocking while trying to recover his stamina.
Because it looked like Yu Jung-ak might collapse at any moment, the fans' concentration couldn't help but heighten.
However, no one knew that an even more interesting thing was happening beneath the surface.
Except for Yu Jung-ak.
Start of the 4th round.
The bleeding from Yu Min-jong's nose had stopped. Yu Min-jong rushed at Yu Jung-ak from the start. He thought Yu Jung-ak's stamina was reaching its limit.
Yu Min-jong intended to thoroughly pay back Yu Jung-ak for everything he had endured so far.
Yu Jung-ak leaned against the fence and subtly defended against Yu Min-jong's wrestling. He deliberately shook his body to encourage Yu Min-jong not to let go.
The more Yu Jung-ak's body shook, the more force Yu Min-jong used, and the audience watched nervously.
After grappling with Yu Min-jong a few times, Yu Jung-ak could clearly tell.
Yu Min-jong's wrestling was several levels below Yu Jung-ak's.
So Yu Jung-ak leisurely defended against Yu Min-jong's attacks.
If he had maintained perfect balance, Yu Min-jong might have given up. Perhaps because of this, Yu Min-jong succeeded in taking down Yu Jung-ak three times.
But it wasn't perfect. Each time he was taken down, Yu Jung-ak turned his body to fall in a position easy to get up from.
The reason was that Yu Jung-ak had allowed himself to be taken down, rather than Yu Min-jong succeeding. The last one was when Yu Min-jong grabbed both legs and slammed him down, but Yu Jung-ak used the momentum of falling to twist his body and instead pushed Yu Min-jong to the side.
This threw off Yu Min-jong's posture. From the outside, it might look like they got tangled while attempting a takedown, but it was thoroughly intended by Yu Jung-ak.
Yu Min-jong thought that if he couldn't find an answer in the standing position, he could solve it with wrestling. Yu Jung-ak must be tired. But that was the wrong choice. Yu Jung-ak's real strength was wrestling.
He had enough skill to toy with someone of Yu Min-jong's level.
Yu Jung-ak, who had vaguely taken the back position, threw punches at Yu Min-jong. Yu Min-jong blocked the punches and caught his breath trying to get up.
His stamina had decreased, but it wasn't over yet. He thought about attempting a swap, but Yu Jung-ak's punches hurt too much.
'Is he a born stone fist? That bastard.'
He wasn't a stone fist. Yu Jung-ak's fists weren't heavy. Nevertheless, the reason Yu Min-jong felt pain was that Yu Jung-ak still had a lot of stamina left.
Yu Jung-ak comfortably targeted Yu Min-jong from the back position. When Yu Min-jong stood up, Yu Jung-ak, seemingly exhausted, let him rise without further restraint.
Then came the standing exchange.
The fourth round had quickly passed.
Points-wise, Yu Min-jong had the advantage in the fourth round due to his numerous takedowns. However, Yu Min-jong couldn't keep Yu Jung-ak pinned down after the takedowns. He couldn't land a single pound. It was purely a point-scoring situation.
Because Yu Jung-ak had thrown punches from the back position, the scores were still close. If it went to a decision, Yu Jung-ak would be in a much more favorable position.
However, Yu Jung-ak showed signs of being nearly groggy at the end of the round. Though he hadn't taken damage, he appeared significantly fatigued.
Yu Min-jong was deceived again.
And the fifth round began. Yu Jung-ak approached slowly, without rushing. Yu Min-jong prepared to attempt a takedown.
Yu Jung-ak assumed his usual stance for throwing a left jab. Yu Min-jong slightly pulled his head back in response.
But the left jab didn't come.
What came was Yu Jung-ak's right hand. Yu Min-jong moved back further than Yu Jung-ak's straight punch range.
Thwack!
Yet Yu Jung-ak's right hand connected with Yu Min-jong's nose. Yu Min-jong's mind briefly wavered.
'What was that?'
When Yu Min-jong regained his senses momentarily, he found himself lying on the ground. And Yu Jung-ak's pounding followed.
'What just happened? It wasn't within straight punch range.'
While Yu Min-jong was recollecting the situation, Yu Jung-ak's pounding continued. Yu Min-jong, like the veteran he was, skillfully pushed Yu Jung-ak's body away and stood up. Yu Jung-ak had no intention of keeping Yu Min-jong pinned down anyway.
What had transpired?
Yu Jung-ak didn't throw the left jab. He merely feinted it and immediately threw a straight punch.
It wasn't an ordinary straight punch.
It was a Superman punch, thrown while charging forward.
This punch could land much deeper than the opponent expected. Although rushing forward while punching carried the risk of a counter, Yu Jung-ak didn't care. Yu Min-jong had long since given up on standing exchanges.
Yu Jung-ak's trickery was just beginning.
He started properly feinting against Yu Min-jong, who had grown accustomed to the left jab. He would slightly extend for a left jab, then throw a low kick instead.
Then he would continuously throw left jabs. Yu Min-jong tried to approach and attempt takedowns several times to avoid Yu Jung-ak's strikes, but Yu Jung-ak easily dodged with his footwork. He no longer allowed clinches either.
Yu Min-jong's nosebleed, which had stopped, started flowing again. His left eye was now swollen as well.
Yu Min-jong failed to notice that Yu Jung-ak's movements were unnaturally smooth. The situation was unfolding rapidly.
Yu Jung-ak's light strikes, which Yu Min-jong had considered insignificant, kept landing, gradually pushing Yu Min-jong into a groggy state.
Yu Min-jong was increasingly becoming a punching bag.
Whoosh!
Yu Jung-ak extended another jab. Yu Min-jong, as if he had been waiting for this, threw a counter at Yu Jung-ak.
A decisive blow he had been waiting to deliver.
However, Yu Jung-ak defended by quickly raising his right hand guard. Yu Min-jong hadn't noticed, but his own movements had become significantly slower, and his strength wasn't what it used to be.
Then again, distance control and a left jab. Yu Min-jong found himself unknowingly pushed against the fence.
For the first time, Yu Min-jong felt fear of striking.
As the left jab came, Yu Min-jong tried to step back but realized the fence was behind him. He had been pushed back so much that he hadn't even noticed the fence.
Then he saw Yu Jung-ak's right hand move.
Yu Min-jong thought a right straight was coming and tightly guarded his face with both hands. But that's not what Yu Jung-ak was aiming for.
It was a straight, but not aimed at the face. Yu Jung-ak's straight punch deviated from its original trajectory downward.
Yu Jung-ak's fist connected with Yu Min-jong's solar plexus.
Thud.
Yu Min-jong's breath was momentarily cut off, and he hunched over. As Yu Min-jong was about to fall, Yu Jung-ak had already completed a cheek clinch and was lifting Yu Min-jong with sheer strength.
He prevented Yu Min-jong from falling.
Yu Jung-ak checked the referee's position and turned his body to a spot where Yu Min-jong's face wasn't visible.
Then came the knee kicks.
The referee couldn't see Yu Min-jong's face, and Yu Jung-ak delivered knee kicks to Yu Min-jong's face.
Exactly three strikes.
Yu Min-jong staggered from the knee kicks while held. When Yu Jung-ak released the cheek clinch, Yu Min-jong fell forward.
Yu Jung-ak rushed in and struck the fallen Yu Min-jong. Yu Min-jong collapsed in a position like a caterpillar with its rear end raised, trembling.
Like someone electrocuted.
With each of Yu Jung-ak's punches, Yu Min-jong trembled more violently. Complete unconsciousness. The referee quickly rushed towards Yu Jung-ak.
The referee shouted stop, and Yu Jung-ak ceased his attack. Yu Min-jong's nose was completely smashed, and blood was flowing from his forehead.
A perfect revenge.
An enormous roar of cheers was heard.