Yu Jung-ak's match, though not broadcast domestically, received a heated response. Especially since it was his first knockout match.
The reaction couldn't help but be intense. These days, match videos were uploaded to online communities very quickly. Yu Jung-ak could see the passionate responses in the communities from the day after his match.
"This guy's the real deal. He might be the first Korean to become a CFC champion. His skills are improving day by day."
"His physique is worth it. Honestly, isn't it unfair to have that build in the lightweight division? He fought in welterweight, one division up, and his opponent looked small."
"Many fighters don't live up to their physique. You know Oh Sun-gyu in welterweight? He's 190cm tall with a 203cm reach. His reach is unfair, but he always just throws looping hooks."
"Try a flying Sun-gyu kick!"
"That's a phrase that will go down in MMA history."
"What's a flying Sun-gyu kick?"
"It was originally 'Sun-gyu, try a flying side kick.'"
"He's amazing. Ending it with a side kick. The opponent just collapsed."
"I thought a big tree was falling. Wow."
"Where are all those haters who were criticizing the coach for setting up Yu Jung-ak's welterweight match?"
"Where's the guy who said Yu Jung-ak would finish in the first round? Well done."
"Will he keep fighting in welterweight now?"
"Won't he continue in lightweight?"
"Spirit, give Yu Jung-ak a title shot quickly. You said you would, so why aren't you?"
"When did they say that?"
"The fight with Go Kyung-hee was supposed to be a contender match. Spirit is jerking us around."
"Spirit is jerking us around."
The fighting community was instantly flooded with posts about Yu Jung-ak. And these reactions also reached the ears of Spirit's representative, Jang Hyun-sung.
Jang Hyun-sung watched Yu Jung-ak's match with his secretary.
A match that ended in 55 seconds.
After watching the match, Jang Hyun-sung frowned.
"What should we do about this guy?"
"They said they wouldn't sign a contract..."
"He's running wild elsewhere because we didn't give him the match he was supposed to get."
"It was a bit off from the start."
"Hah... Was his striking always this good? Well, Cho said he'd keep an eye on him, right?"
"Yes."
"This is giving me a headache."
"Just don't worry about it. He's a fish that's slipped out of our hands anyway."
"Hey! How can I not worry!" Jang Hyun-sung burst out angrily at his secretary's words.
"How can you say not to worry when we've let go of kids who could have become our headliners if we'd nurtured them well?"
"He probably won't have his next match set up anyway. Try contacting him to set up a match."
"Yu Jung-ak?"
"Yes."
"Who are you planning to match him with?"
"You know Randin, right?"
"You're planning to match him with Randin?"
"Yes. He'll accept even if it's not a title match."
"Randin's striking is good, but honestly, there's no guarantee he'll win."
"Who said anything about matching him with Randin?"
"Then..."
"Lee Chul is returning to Spirit soon."
"Ah!"
"With Lee Chul's style, we can just catch him. First, make an offer with Randin and try to persuade him well. Say we'll increase the fight money too. The matches with Gal Seung-hyun and Kwon Cheol were unavoidable. Like this."
"And then you'll pull Randin out and put Lee Chul in, right?"
"Lee Chul is full of resentment after leaving CFC. And I'll talk to him well too. I feel sorry for Cho, but isn't that how business works?"
Jang Hyun-sung smiled strangely.
==
"Hey, where have you been all day?"
Yu Jung-ak had returned to Korea and was living the same life as before. But he had been gone all day on a weekday.
Oh Jung-ryong asked Yu Jung-ak, who only appeared when training was almost over.
"I went for a medical examination."
"Medical examination? Ah! For the military!"
"Yeah. I can't postpone it since I'm not a college student."
"Do you have to go already?"
"I'll probably go next year. Since I had the medical examination this year."
"Are you just going to go?"
"Why wouldn't I go?"
"You dropped out of middle school, can't you get out of it?"
"How could I? I'm perfectly healthy, so I should go."
For athletes, military service was critical. In short, it was best to consider it as not being able to train properly for two years.
But Yu Jung-ak didn't seem to have any regrets at all.
Yu Jung-ak was currently on the best upward trend. Yet he had no regrets about military service.
Oh Jung-ryong saw Yu Jung-ak in a new light.
"Wow. You're a real man."
Oh Jung-ryong praised him, which was unusual.
"Come on. It's natural for a Korean man to go to the military. Why are you making a big deal out of it? Did you perhaps keep postponing your service and then had to go reluctantly later?"
"Hmm?"
Oh Jung-ryong couldn't say anything more as he had been hit right on the mark. In fact, Oh Jung-ryong had served as a public service worker instead of active duty due to a knee injury.
Many athletes, especially MMA fighters, often served as public service workers instead of active duty.
While this might not make sense at first glance, it becomes understandable if you look a bit deeper.
MMA fighters live with injuries. Some habitually suffer from shoulder dislocations, while others have had surgeries for critical damage to other parts of their bodies. Naturally, such fighters would receive lower grades in physical examinations.
Of course, fighters with less severe injuries do serve in the military. That's why many fighters have served in the Marine Corps or reconnaissance units.
"You shouldn't do that, bro. As a man..."
"Alright, you're so great."
"That guy. He's doing public service. That's why he's so fine."
Turning around, they saw Cho Yong-il.
"Uncle, you shouldn't say that."
"Why is this guy doing public service?"
"This guy's father is a person of national merit. So he's doing 6 months of public service."
"Wow. Son of God."
"What are you talking about? The son of God would be exempt. I'm more like God's nephew."
"Anyway, 6 months isn't a big problem. Do you get 4 weeks of training? After that, since it's public service, you can train after work hours."
"You really hit the jackpot."
Oh Jung-ryong, who usually didn't envy others, sincerely envied him this time.
"But Uncle, why are you here today? Didn't you say you were busy with the athletes competing from the gym?"
"I came for work. Why else would I come?"
"What's the matter?"
"It seems Spirit regretted letting you go. They're willing to offer a one-fight contract. They want to capitalize on your increased popularity."
"Who's the opponent? Am I fighting the winner of Gal Seung-hyun vs Kwon Cheol? Or the loser?"
"No. Remember I told you about Randin Erdin?"
"I saw his videos. Is it him?"
"Yes. The Mongolian striking specialist."
"Randin hits well. He's tough too."
"It's a mountain you'll have to climb anyway. If you beat him, it'll be good for comparison with Gal Seung-hyun. But there's a problem."
"What is it?"
"Randin's skills are improving rapidly. He's had two fights since losing to Gal Seung-hyun, and his striking has really developed."
"I'll need to prepare hard."
"Are you accepting the offer?"
"Yes. But how much are they offering?"
"More than last time."
"Sounds good."
Yu Jung-ak had barely spent any of his fight money. His purses weren't small. Yu Jung-ak's bank account now held nearly 100 million won.
This was thanks to consistently receiving high fight purses and bonuses. Especially the recent Rising fight had a high purse.
With the victory bonus and Fight of the Night award, he received an additional 60 million won.
While there were expenses paid back to the team, it was still a considerable amount.
Rising was an organization formed to revitalize the stagnant Japanese MMA scene.
From its launch, it advertised high fight purses. Especially, they publicly stated they would give 50,000 dollars for the Fight of the Night bonus, and they were actually doing so.
50,000 dollars was on par with CFC's bonus level.
Yu Jung-ak had earned nearly 100 million won from one fight in Rising. Now that the fight was over, the fight money would soon be deposited into Team Silence's representative's account.
"Hey, by the way, this time it's back to lightweight. Don't get confused."
"Come on, you think I wouldn't know that?"
"Alright. The fight is in two months."
Cho Yong-il was drinking at a Japanese restaurant in Seoul. Fresh sashimi was laid out as side dishes. Cho Yong-il picked up a piece of salmon, dipped it slightly in mustard sauce, and took a bite.
"Don't hate him too much, brother."
"I can't look at him favorably. He wasn't like this before, why has he changed so much?"
"After being cheated a few times... that's how he became. But he's still working hard for domestic MMA. He treats the fighters well too."
"Still, this isn't right."
"Just let it be. Anyway, after this game, there's no reason to see him again, right?"
"Well, you never know."
Surprisingly, the man talking with Cho Yong-il was CFC fighter Lee Chul. Lee Chul was still affiliated with CFC. However, he had clearly expressed his intention not to renew his contract with CFC, so he would be leaving CFC soon.
As Cho Yong-il's glass emptied, Lee Chul poured sake with both hands.
"But why did you accept the offer? I called you before the offer came."
When Lee Chul spoke, Cho Yong-il smiled. Lee Chul was considered the most veteran fighter in domestic MMA.
He was the face of domestic MMA before going to CFC.
He was acquainted with Cho Yong-il and had a close friendship with Jang Hyun-sung. After being released from CFC, Lee Chul was naturally set to return to Spirit.
Jang Hyun-sung had explained the situation to Lee Chul before making an offer to Yu Jung-ak. That's how close Jang Hyun-sung and Lee Chul were.
However, Lee Chul didn't particularly like Jang Hyun-sung's behind-the-scenes maneuvers. But he understood. He knew well how Jang Hyun-sung had built up Spirit.
So what Lee Chul chose to do was call Cho Yong-il first. Lee Chul called to inform him of the situation, and Cho Yong-il said he understood.
After the previous incident, Cho Yong-il wasn't very keen on accepting offers from Spirit. But at the mention of Randin, Cho Yong-il started to reconsider.
Randin was an opponent with fierce striking.
He was also tall for the lightweight division and had good reach. In short, he was an opponent who was not at all inferior to Yu Jung-ak in terms of striking.
In fact, in terms of destructive power and skill, he was far above Yu Jung-ak.
That's why Cho Yong-il wanted Randin.
For Yu Jung-ak to move up further, he needed fight experience with strikers like Randin. So Cho Yong-il called Lee Chul again.
Cho Yong-il accepted Spirit's offer and made one request to Lee Chul.
It was to use an injury as an excuse.
Lee Chul didn't like these kinds of maneuvers by Jang Hyun-sung, so he agreed to do as Cho Yong-il asked. And now Cho Yong-il had come to Seoul to buy Lee Chul a drink.
"Why do you think I accepted the offer?"
"Randin is no pushover."
"I know."
"And what if I suddenly change my mind and say I'll do it?"
When Lee Chul said this, Cho Yong-il laughed.
"Kid, I know you don't like that kind of thing. If you don't want to see me anymore, then do it."
"You know I won't do that. Anyway, Chairman Jang and I need to keep going forward. Please understand. That's how I'll be able to run a gym someday."
"Right. I heard he set up a gym for Kwon Cheol?"
"That's right. Chairman Jang takes good care of his fighters. It's just that he sometimes does dirty work."
"But doing this to me isn't right. He knows Jung-ak is my nephew."
"That just shows how much he expects from Yu Jung-ak. Anyway, think of it like that."
Cho Yong-il didn't reveal to the end why he accepted the offer. In fact, there was a reason why Cho Yong-il accepted the offer even after hearing Lee Chul's words.
From Yu Jung-ak's perspective, Lee Chul was a much easier opponent than Randin. Lee Chul was a fighter whose main weapon was strong pressure.
His wrestling and ground-and-pound were good. Especially, he had a good chin and had never been knocked out. However, his striking wasn't particularly good.
For Yu Jung-ak, who excelled at wrestling defense, Lee Chul was just the right opponent to handle.
Moreover, he was past his prime and his performance had declined compared to before.
No matter how much Lee Chul was Spirit's former champion and the strongest in Korea, he was just an easy opponent for Yu Jung-ak.
Rather, fighters like Randin, Gal Seung-hyun, or Kwon Cheol were trickier opponents for Yu Jung-ak.
After drinking with Lee Chul, Cho Yong-il returned to Incheon.
A few days later, the fight schedule was posted on Spirit's homepage.
Main event: Randin vs Yu Jung-ak.
While Randin might have been a bit lacking in recognition for a main event, his skills were certain, and Yu Jung-ak was now undoubtedly a star in the domestic fighting scene.
People whispered that the winner of this fight would go straight to a title shot. And they also whispered about why they hadn't received a title shot right away.
Cho Yong-il didn't tell his team members or Yu Jung-ak about his conversation with Lee Chul. It wasn't a particularly good story anyway.
The fight with Randin would happen as planned. They couldn't put in a substitute fighter unless it was unavoidable.
Cho Yong-il watched Yu Jung-ak's one-two straight punching form.
"It's getting usable now."
"Is this good enough?"
"Put on your clothes."
"Why? Is something happening?"
"We're going to meet a senior I truly respect."
"But why am I going?"
"He's someone who can teach you counters."
"Counters?"
"Yes. We're going to see senior Bang Yong-pal, Korea's only heavyweight world champion, known for his left body shot and overhand right counter. You've met him before, right?"
"Yes, when we were filming 'Fists of the Neighborhood'. I greeted him."
"Let's go."
Cho Yong-il took Yu Jung-ak to Seoul. Bang Yong-pal Boxing Gym. It was lunchtime, and the gym was quiet.
Born in 1958, Bang Yong-pal was reading a newspaper in the office. Now at his age, he couldn't see well without glasses.
He greeted Cho Yong-il warmly as soon as he saw him.
"Yeah, kid. I saw you then. I didn't know you were our Cho's nephew at the time. I just thought you had good eyes."
"Hello."
Yu Jung-ak greeted him respectfully.
"Good to see you. I've always been fond of your uncle. Since he first won the boxing gold medal, I kept telling him to turn pro. But he never did. This fist, it was such a waste, you know."
"Senior, amateur and pro aren't the same. If I had gone pro, I probably wouldn't have done well."
"What are you talking about? I know Cho's fist. This fist, you know, would have been even better in the pro scene. Without headgear, even heavyweights would fly if they got hit by this fist. And his technique was no joke. In short, he was born to be a pro boxer."
"Come on, senior, stop praising me."
"Anyway, whenever I see Cho, I always feel it's a shame. If only his hand hadn't been broken. Tsk. We could have seen the birth of a boxing legend."
Bang Yong-pal was genuinely glad to see Cho Yong-il. Was it because Yu Jung-ak was Cho's nephew? He seemed to like Yu Jung-ak a lot too.
Seeing Yu Jung-ak throw a one-two straight, Bang Yong-pal laughed heartily.
"What weight class are you?"
"Lightweight, sir."
"Wow, kids these days are all big. Is it possible to cut down to lightweight with this build? Doesn't it affect your stamina?"
"It's fine, sir."
Bang Yong-pal spoke in a mix of Jeolla dialect and standard Korean. His unique way of speaking was very endearing.
After chatting for a while, Bang Yong-pal began lecturing Cho Yong-il about counters. He said he had originally planned to teach this if Cho had turned pro.
Like Cho Yong-il, Bang Yong-pal was both a hard puncher and a technician. At 180cm, he had a sturdy build but wasn't particularly big for the light heavyweight division.
Nevertheless, the reason he was able to defend his title seven times in the light heavyweight division was because of his powerful punches and counters.
If Cho Yong-il was a technician based on out-boxing, Bang Yong-pal was a boxer based on in-fighting.
Due to his rugged style without combinations, his technique was often underrated, but in fact, he was a technician with speed as fast as lightweight fighters.
Especially, his left counter was second to none.
Knowing Bang Yong-pal's abilities, Cho Yong-il brought Yu Jung-ak here. Wearing gloves, Bang Yong-pal raised his fist in front of Yu Jung-ak.
"Watch carefully. This fist is a hundred percent accurate."
"Pardon?"
"I said it's a hundred percent accurate. This never misses. A boxer, you see, must always have confidence in his fists. Not just confidence. Certainty. You have to think that when you throw it, it will definitely hit. That's how you should throw it."