‘Korean Tiger’ Lee Jeong-young (27, Strong Gym A&T Management), who is receiving high expectations from domestic fans, can succeed in signing a UFC contract?
Only the last gateway was left. If he defeats Lee Ji (26, China) in the featherweight final of the ‘Road To UFC’ held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on the 5th (Korean time), he will hold the UFC contract in his arms.
Opponent Lee Ja is a rising powerhouse who has amassed a record of 21 wins and 3 losses since his debut in 2016. In particular, it is a dark horse that defeated Keisuke Sasuke (Japan), who was considered a favorite to win this tournament, in the quarterfinals and Koyomi Matsushima (Japan) in the semifinals. 토토사이트
In an interview with Spotify News, Lee Ja revealed his strong antipathy towards Lee Jung-young, expressing confidence that “Lee Jung-young has heavy fists, but mixed martial arts is not only done with fists.” In other words, it means that he is superior to Lee Jung-young in wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and game management skills.
Lee Jung-young defeated Xiebin (China) with an armbar in 36 seconds in the quarterfinals and Lu Kai (China) in the semifinals with a punch in 42 seconds. He took less than two minutes to knock down two Chinese fighters.
Liza regards this match as a revenge match for the Chinese players. “Lee Jung-young! Wait for the day to fight me. You will never be able to surpass me,” he said with strength.
Lee Ja did not show a crush on Lee Jung-young. This is because he had a rough fight with Chinese fighters in two weigh-ins. It is for this reason that he engaged in a battle of nerves as soon as he confirmed his advance to the Road to UFC finals in October of last year and met Lee Jung-young in the Octagon.
“I’ve seen the last two weigh-in face-offs, and he’s really angry with the opponent. I don’t like that style. So, in Abu Dhabi, I went violently on purpose during the face-off. I really hate Lee Jung-young.”
Of course, Lee Jung-young’s firepower is wary. “Japanese fighters have a lot of strong grapplers, while Korean fighters are explosive, fast-footed and strong at hitting. Chinese fighters are well-rounders,” he said. “Mixed martial arts is not just boxing. I will teach you that in the finals.” warned.
Lee Ja dreams the same dream as Lee Jung-young. He said his goal was to break into the UFC and become a champion in the future. “Like Weili Zhang, there will soon be an Asian male champion in the UFC. I hope that will be me,” he said.
The road to UFC final between Lee Jung-young and Lee Ja will be held at UFC Fight Night 218 Undercard. In the flyweight final, Choi Seung-guk and Park Hyeon-seong will fight.
The UFC Fight Night 218 main event features a heavyweight fight between Derek Lewis and Sergey Spivak. Da-un Jeong, Doo-ho Choi, Jun-yong Park, and Ji-yeon Kim also compete in this event.