Wouldn’t it have been like this if Kang Ho-dong, a broadcaster from Cheonhajangsa, had chosen martial arts instead of wrestling when he was young?
Kang Ji-won (28, Wangho MMA), a ‘mighty warrior’ with a natural warrior’s physique, decided to overcome the pain of his previous defeat and make his first appearance in the new year. He will face Mikhail Jamal Abdul-Latif (40, Netherlands) as a heavyweight at ‘ONE Fight Night 18’, which will be held at Lumpiti Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on the 13th.
Kang Ji-won is a left-handed hitter with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses. He is 184cm tall, which is not tall for a heavyweight, but he is a natural fighter with a large bone and thick torso. He is said to be reminiscent of Kang Ho-dong in his youth, including his sharp eyes. 토토사이트
Since his debut as a professional in 2018, all six of his wins have ended with first-round KO thanks to his tremendous punching power. In particular, he attracted attention by knocking out Amir Aliakbari (36, Iran), winner of the 2010 World Wrestling Championships, in the first round at the ONE Championship in March 2021.
Although he is never defeated in a firepower battle involving striking, he clearly has weaknesses. Grappling is not as strong as striking, so if you allow your opponent to take a takedown and are dragged to the floor, you will easily tire. In December 2021, he lost to world-class world-class jiu-jitte Marcus Boushesha by rear-naked choke in the first round, and in November last year, he lost to former wrestler Ben Tynan by arm-triangle choke in the third round.
After 5 consecutive wins as a pro, Kang Ji-won, who is recording a loss → win → loss, was reorganizing his battle line, and when suddenly asked to participate, he gave the OK sign without much hesitation. This was because he was confident that he could make up for his previous defeat.
Kang Ji-won is determined to win against an unknown fighter with 3 wins and no losses. In an interview with Sport TV News, he said, “I received a call during Christmas, but I accepted right away and started preparing. I will show you a hot and fun game so that you can forget about the loss in the last game.”
Two more Korean fighters will compete in the same tournament.
Featherweight (UFC lightweight) Hotaek Oh (30, Extreme Combat), who lost by KO in the first round to Akbar Abdullaev in March of last year while on a 7-game winning streak, will face Shamil Gasanov (28, Russia) in the main event.
Gasanov is a strong man who defeated Kim Jae-woong by rear-naked choke in October 2022. It takes on the character of a proxy revenge battle for teammate Kim Jae-woong.
‘Pretty Boy’ Won-il Kwon (28, P-BOY MMA), ranked 4th in the bantamweight (featherweight by UFC) rankings, will face Sin-E-Chaktga Zolcetzeg (27), a former member of the Mongolian national boxing team.