Kim Wan-gu's strategy could be described as a self-defeating move. He should have disengaged or thought of another move if his technique didn't work on his opponent. However, Kim Wan-gu, perhaps due to pride, kept fixating on one technique, which turned out to be poisonous for him.
Kim Wan-gu was confident in his clinch game. Especially his knee kick, where he suddenly pulled the opponent's body close, was his specialty. But now, he was in a situation where he was being beaten at his own game.
[Kim Wan-gu focused too much on the clinch. He should have considered the height difference with Yu Jung-ak. With that height difference, Yu Jung-ak's leg can easily reach Kim Wan-gu's face with just a slight lift. Moreover, Yu Jung-ak is a mixed martial artist. Even if this is his first stand-up fight, he should have expected him to be adept at this kind of defense.]
[Kim Wan-gu is showing a dumbfounded expression. It seems there's a bit of bleeding from his nose. He waits until the count of 8 and then gets up leisurely.]
[Now Kim Wan-gu is in a hurry. One knockdown is significant, you know? On the other hand, Yu Jung-ak can win just by maintaining this score. Kim Wan-gu needs to change his strategy now. These methods won't work on Yu Jung-ak.]
It was natural that Kim Wan-gu couldn't overcome Yu Jung-ak. Although not widely known, Yu Jung-ak's wrestling skills were unparalleled, and he had properly learned stand-up clinch techniques from Rumsak Noi. No matter how strong Kim Wan-gu was or how skilled he was in clinch fights, it wasn't enough to overcome Yu Jung-ak. Moreover, Yu Jung-ak was significantly taller than Kim Wan-gu. It was a situation of strategic misstep for Kim Wan-gu.
It wasn't that Kim Wan-gu hadn't researched Yu Jung-ak. He had done his research. And the weakness he found was precisely the clinch. In previous matches, Yu Jung-ak had shown his striking abilities but hadn't demonstrated any particular strength in clinch fights. That's why Kim Wan-gu thought Yu Jung-ak would be flustered if he engaged in a clinch fight. But that was a misjudgment.
Rumsak Noi wasn't just any trainer. He was top-class in Muay Thai techniques, and Yu Jung-ak, with his good physical condition and diligence, had absorbed those techniques well.
Yu Jung-ak didn't let his guard down just because he had scored one knockdown. He properly assumed his stance and regulated his breathing.
"Change the strategy now. He'll come in properly striking. It's Plan B," Cho Yong-il said to Yu Jung-ak, who was leaning on the ring. Yu Jung-ak nodded while looking at Kim Wan-gu, who was getting up and adjusting his body.
There was a significant difference in height and reach between Kim Wan-gu and Yu Jung-ak. This meant that if Yu Jung-ak decided to take a defensive stance, it would be very difficult for Kim Wan-gu to break through and land attacks. Yu Jung-ak knew this.
So he thoroughly moved to the side while raising his guard. Kim Wan-gu, who had become urgent after being knocked down once, pressed Yu Jung-ak.
Yu Jung-ak raised his guard while slightly lifting his front foot. The intention was clear. He was warning to be careful as he might throw a counter knee kick.
Yu Jung-ak didn't actively attack but only deflected or blocked Kim Wan-gu's attacks. As long as it wasn't a critical situation, Yu Jung-ak was confident he could prevent Kim Wan-gu's attacks.
[Kim Wan-gu is coming in fiercely. In contrast, Yu Jung-ak is focusing on defense.]
[Surprisingly, Yu Jung-ak is managing the fight well. He's experienced. It seems there were instructions from his corner. Kim Wan-gu is the one in a hurry now, right? So Yu Jung-ak doesn't need to engage head-on.]
[It's becoming a battle of spear and shield.]
[Yes, but now the spear might break while attacking. Kim Wan-gu needs to take a step back when he's in a hurry. If he's too hasty, he might get hit by the shield instead. Oh!]
Just as Seo Dong-gi's commentary was speaking, Kim Wan-gu threw a right overhand hook. It was a heavy overhand hook with his arm fully extended, but Yu Jung-ak guarded it with both hands. While guarding, he slightly lifted his front foot.
Bang! Thud!
The sound of gloves hitting the guard was heard. Simultaneously, the sound of Yu Jung-ak's knee striking Kim Wan-gu's solar plexus was also heard. However, people only thought that Kim Wan-gu had cornered Yu Jung-ak and was attacking.
The cheers in the arena grew louder. It looked like Yu Jung-ak was cornered and about to receive a series of attacks.
But that wasn't the case. Kim Wan-gu, who should have been following up with attacks after difficultly cornering his opponent, had ridiculously fallen clutching his stomach.
[What's going on with Kim Wan-gu? It looked like Kim Wan-gu's right hook had landed.]
[Kim Wan-gu's right hook was blocked by Yu Jung-ak's guard. We need to see the slow-motion replay. Ah, Yu Jung-ak threw a knee kick in sync with the right hook. Being tall, Yu Jung-ak can be a threat just by slightly lifting his leg.]
[Kim Wan-gu is getting up while showing considerable pain. He indicates his intention to continue fighting.]
[When such an attack lands at the moment of attacking, even if it's just a slight hit, the pain is significant. Yu Jung-ak's knee kick came as he was stepping back, so it didn't have much power. If it had landed properly, he probably wouldn't have been able to get up.]
Kim Wan-gu was perplexed. Although it was said to be his first stand-up fight, his opponent looked as experienced as a veteran who had fought dozens of matches. The method of raising the guard tightly, receiving the opponent's attacks, and counter-attacking was reminiscent of the style of World One heavyweight legend Remy Bonjasky.
Kim Wan-gu decided to just get through the first round. But Yu Jung-ak didn't stay still. Yu Jung-ak raised his guard tightly and came in striking first.
After throwing a strong right body kick, Yu Jung-ak quickly clung to Kim Wan-gu. Kim Wan-gu, who had staggered back, tried to counter with punches, but Yu Jung-ak was faster. Yu Jung-ak, wrapping one hand around Kim Wan-gu's neck, pushed forward.
'What strength!'
Kim Wan-gu couldn't resist backward when Yu Jung-ak used his full strength. Pushed to the ring, Kim Wan-gu tried to shake off Yu Jung-ak, but it wasn't easy. Yu Jung-ak pretended to attack the face by lowering Kim Wan-gu's head with his left hand.
When Kim Wan-gu guarded his face and was wary of knee kicks, Yu Jung-ak used his right hand. He threw a barrage of short punches to Kim Wan-gu's body that he had attacked earlier.
Dirty boxing.
While it's a clear foul in boxing, it's an acceptable technique in mixed martial arts or stand-up fighting. In the old World One, there was a limit to the number of knee kicks or dirty boxing moves after a clinch, but now the rules had been revised. Anything was allowed.
Even though they were short punches, Yu Jung-ak had learned proper punching from Cho Yong-il. Damage was accumulating on Kim Wan-gu's abdomen. When Kim Wan-gu tried to turn his body sideways to escape the corner, Yu Jung-ak, as if he had been waiting, kicked with his right foot.
Thud!
Yu Jung-ak's foot tip hit Kim Wan-gu's solar plexus once again. Kim Wan-gu moved as if he was fine for a moment, then sat down right there.
Most people show that kind of reaction when they get hit properly in the abdomen. Unlike attacks to the face, the pain in the abdomen comes about a second later. And while attacks to the face can recover to some extent as time passes, when an attack to the abdomen lands like that, nine out of ten can't get up again.
The referee immediately stopped the fight. Kim Wan-gu said he could get up again, but in tournament rules, if you get knocked down three times or more in one round, it's declared a TKO loss. Even though it was a slip-like knockdown, Kim Wan-gu had been knocked down three times. It was his defeat.
[A complete upset has occurred from the very first match. Yu Jung-ak, with zero stand-up fight record, creates another upset match. At this point, we could almost call him an upset manufacturer.]
[Yu Jung-ak is experienced. For such a young fighter, that experience is no joke. He doesn't seem nervous at all. Kim Wan-gu was completely drawn into Yu Jung-ak's pace.]
Kim Wan-gu was defeated without being able to properly show his skills against Yu Jung-ak.
First round TKO, Yu Jung-ak's victory. Yu Jung-ak advanced to the semi-finals in just one round.
After his first match, Yu Jung-ak rested in the waiting room. There was a text message from Yoon Ji-yun. Yu Jung-ak replied briefly and then watched the matches of the other fighters. Monitoring opponent fighters was also important in tournaments.
It was crucial to understand how the opponent fights and what their condition is on the day, in order to lead the fight advantageously when meeting them on the ring next time. Especially because it was a one-day tournament, monitoring was even more important.
Injuries could occur during matches. In cases like low kicks or body shots, damage often accumulates, so it was also a strategy to observe how many times the opponent allowed attacks and to target those areas in the next match.
It might seem cowardly, but that was the reality. Managing injuries well was also a part of one's skill.
"How is it?"
"They're all doing well."
"Kim Wan-gu is originally good too. It's fortunate that our strategy worked well."
Cho Yong-il said while drinking an ion beverage. Yu Jung-ak was wearing a zippered training suit over his fight gear. Even though it wasn't cold weather, the body cools down quickly. Especially fighters who had just competed would feel the cold more easily because they were in a sweaty state.
In a regular match, it would be over after the fight, but in a one-day tournament, they had to warm up their bodies again soon and go out for another match. Regulating body temperature was essential.
"It's fortunate. It went as we expected."
"That means the other fighters didn't pay much attention to you. Even with a good record, you're still a fighter from mixed martial arts background."
"Plus, there's a strong candidate like Jang Sung-hyun, so that's even more the case."
The second match went quite long. The winner of the second match was Oh Jin-sung, who won with a high kick after a fierce battle that went to the third round. He was a rookie fighter, not as tall as Yu Jung-ak, but still 180cm tall.
"Don't think of him as just a rookie. I heard he has quite a good amateur record in Japan. I don't know the details, but he seems to be quite tough."
The third match ended early in the first round. The winner of the third match, Gil Sang-jun, and his opponent engaged in a slugfest from the start, which was a mistake. Gil Sang-jun was a veteran who enjoyed slugfests based on his powerful durability.
"You shouldn't do that against Gil Sang-jun."
"He has good durability. Several clean hits landed."
"That means he's taking hits while observing. He's a good fighter, but with Jang Sung-hyun there, I'm not sure."
"That fighter will face Jang Sung-hyun, right?"
"Probably. Jang Sung-hyun's opponent is also a rookie like you. Lee Il-su, was it? He's younger than you. Just 19 years old. The difference from you is that he's been doing stand-up fighting since he was young."
Yu Jung-ak continued watching the matches while drinking his ion beverage. The match between Jang Sung-hyun and Lee Il-su was just starting.
The commentators were predicting an overwhelming victory for Jang Sung-hyun. The difference in skill seemed that big.
But an upset occurred.
Whether it was because Jang Sung-hyun was careless, he threw a big punch as a preemptive attack, and at that timing, Lee Il-su amazingly dodged and threw a counter. For a moment, Jang Sung-hyun sat down. It happened in just the first round.
[What is this? The strong title candidate Jang Sung-hyun has been knocked down.]
Jang Sung-hyun got up right away, but he looked shocked. The punch had landed cleanly on his chin. Lee Il-su was raising his guard tightly and looking at Jang Sung-hyun with fierce eyes.
[Jang Sung-hyun hasn't been knocked down once in the past 3 years. Even in his match with Buakaw, although he lost by decision, he wasn't knocked down. And now, this fighter has been knocked down by the rookie Lee Il-su. This is an upset.]
Jang Sung-hyun forgot about the knockdown and started attacking calmly. He used kicks to control distance while mixing in punches occasionally. Every time, Lee Il-su fiercely resisted and tried to protect his points. However, there was a difference in skill between the two.
As the middle of the second round passed, Jang Sung-hyun started to show his true skills. Based on the clean combinations typical of stand-up fighters, he started pounding Lee Il-su. Lee Il-su raised his guard tightly and tried to reduce damage while counterattacking.
Jang Sung-hyun pressed Lee Il-su, fiercely overwhelming him. He was trying to knock him down and end it with a KO, but Lee Il-su's guard was solid. And he had good durability too. He was enduring even when taking clean hits from Jang Sung-hyun's attacks.
As the third round started, Jang Sung-hyun's attacks became more fierce. In response, Lee Il-su counterattacked more intensely.
Thwack!
Lee Il-su's powerful low kick hit Jang Sung-hyun's thigh. At that timing, Jang Sung-hyun's left hook caught Lee Il-su's chin.
The cheers of the audience were heard. Finally, Lee Il-su had fallen. Lee Il-su had raised his guard in preparation for Jang Sung-hyun's hook, but he still allowed Jang Sung-hyun's punch. It was because the hook came at a tricky angle.
Jang Sung-hyun was breathing heavily. He didn't expect to use this much strength in the first match. The referee was counting, and Jang Sung-hyun raised his arm. It was because of his confidence that the opponent wouldn't be able to get up. But that wasn't the case.
Lee Il-su got up and even took a fighting pose. Jang Sung-hyun, breathing heavily, rushed towards Lee Il-su.
It was to finish him off.
'Just stay down!'
Thud!
Lee Il-su's teeth weren't dead yet. He threw a one-two towards Jang Sung-hyun who was walking steadily towards him, and after dodging the jab, Jang Sung-hyun couldn't avoid the fast straight and staggered. The cheers of the audience grew louder.
Jang Sung-hyun regained his posture and pounded Lee Il-su. Lee Il-su didn't fall until the end.
"He's got guts. He's enduring until the end even though his legs are gone."
"Who do you think will win?"
"Jang Sung-hyun has more effective strikes. Plus, he scored a knockdown in the third round. It'll probably be a decision win for Jang Sung-hyun."
"Won't it go to an extension?"
"They rarely go to extensions in tournaments."
There was almost no extension system in mixed martial arts. Even if there was, it was only in small organizations. However, in stand-up fighting, there were many cases of going to an extension if the match was evenly matched. But in tournaments, because fighters' stamina is extremely depleted, extensions were often not declared in most cases.
The result was a victory for Jang Sung-hyun, but people also gave a lot of applause to Lee Il-su. Especially the commentators gave a lot of praise. From saying that it was really commendable for a rookie to fight to this extent with Jang Sung-hyun, to saying that the future of Korean stand-up fighting looks bright.
After the match with Jang Sung-hyun ended, finally, Yu Jung-ak's second match arrived.
The opponent was Oh Jin-sung.
He was undoubtedly a formidable opponent, but Yu Jung-ak was confident. Hadn't he analyzed the matches of the tournament participants to the point of exhaustion?
"Senior! Sorry I'm late!"
Angela was waiting outside the waiting room. Yu Jung-ak nodded once towards Angela and then immediately went out to the arena.
Yu Jung-ak's entrance music was echoing throughout the arena.