Scouting the best South Korean Prospects (Patreon)

Lightweight, Si Won Park (6-0):
Park is the Road FC lightweight champion. He trains out of Team Stun Gun under Dong Hyun Kim and other good fighters out of South Korea. Park has tools everywhere and shows a new wrinkle every time he fights. On the feet, he has a good right cross and perfect timing on his strikes. Defensively he's good too with his head movement. Park is slick on the mat and if he's on your back the RNC is natural to him. Park just returned to the cage this month after almost a two-year layoff and scored a highlight-reel knockout.

Flyweight, Jung Hyun Lee (4-1):
Lee is 4-1 but was 8-1 as four of his fights were apparently "modified rules". Whatever that's about he still has those fights and it is experience. His only loss came on to RTU last season to a solid prospect in Mark Climaco. If Lee isn't putting the lights out with his hands he will beat on you for three rounds. Lee has gone the distance three times so his cardio is solid. He's a really good striker with fast hands and good volume. Lee is explosive and uses a lot of feints to find openings. Not just his hands as he throws heavy leg kicks as well.

Lightweight, Tae Kyun Kim (10-1):
Kyun was a hot prospect out of South Korea back in 2021-2022. He took a bad loss and didn't return until a little over a year last January. Kim doesn’t look like much of a fighter but his resume says otherwise with just one defeat. On the mat, he has some skills with three submission wins. He is better on the feet with his technical ability and pressure. Kim is constantly walking forward throwing crisp straight punches and hooks with his hands. He also has really good knees when he closes the distance.

Light-heavyweight, Tae In Kim (5-0):
What's so special about Kim is he's a light-heavyweight from South Korea which we don't ever see. He's 5-0 with all wins by KO/TKO. In four of his fights, he finished in under a minute. In his last two fights, Kim won the Road FC light-heavyweight and heavyweight titles. He should most definitely stay at 205 because heavyweight isn't the fit for him. It's hard to tell how good he is since he's fighting bums. Also, Kim is finishing fights so quickly it's hard to know how he looks outside of power. Kim does have power and he shows it from the start of the fight throwing like a wildman.

Featherweight, Young Jae Song (6-0-1):
Song is the current AFC bantamweight champion, In 2019 he won the AFC bantamweight title. Song is an all-action fighter which is why all his wins come inside the distance. Song is good in the clinch getting those foot sweeps and taking the back. He's a primary striker and a good one at that. The only thing is he's willing to take damage to give it. Although it's dangerous it's what makes him good because his shot placement and power are on display. He is reckless but does go to the body and head and so far he's been the hammer and not the nail.

Flyweight, Dong Hoon Choi (6-0):
There isn't a lot of tape on Choi but there is potential with his accolades. Choi has a background in judo as he's a black belt. He was a part of the National Combat Sambo team. In MMA he's 6-0 and is the Double G FC flyweight champion. From what I've seen he's a good striker/kickboxer. Defensively he doesn't look great but is durable enough to outlast whoever is standing across from him.

Bantamweight, Ji Yong Yang (8-1):
Yang is a good fighter whose only loss is to another good prospect in Razhabali Shaydullaev. Yang is a complete fighter with solid defense everywhere. He keeps his hands high and throws nice straight punches. He mixed up his kicks and hands throwing them together at the same time about it. He has a submission loss but his takedown defense is good. Also, his defensive wrestling is good and so is his offensive grappling. He's not really passed a test to say he's a top prospect yet.

Featherweight, Min Woo Kim (11-2, 1 NC):
Kim is a good technical striker who just needs to pick up the output. He's active but usually fails to extend on combinations. What he does do well is throw nice straight punches and use his kicks from the outside. Kicks from the outside but he's a credible pocket striker on the inside. He also throws a textbook jab that he dictates the pace with. Kim isn't much of a wrestler but is a submission threat. Kim is a former Road FC bantamweight champion but I believe is close to a UFC opportunity.

Featherweight, Joo Sang Yoo (6-0):
I didn't realize how good Yoo was until I actually sat down and watched his fights. He's a complete fighter that checks all the boxes and doesn't have any glaring holes. On the feet, he has good technique. He uses useful feints that open up combinations. He throws from different angles and throws straight punches with some pop in his hands. His wrestling has looked solid as he can time double legs very well. Yoo can control on the mat for three rounds, set up submissions, or beat you face in. Defensively his takedown defense has been nearly perfect but overall his defense has checked out. I legit prospect with a personality.

Flyweight, Yu Jin Shin (3-0):
Shin is undefeated as a pro and went 4-0 as an amateur. There isn't much to say about Shin. The striking is nothing special. For the most part, her wrestling looks good. It's been more of that she's able to take the back quickly and sink in the RNC. She's also very small for the weight class being just five-foot-two. Shin hasn't beat anyone with a winning record but that's expected as a young pro. There is just a lot unknown but being just 20 she has the potential to be a good prospect.

Middleweight, Seok Hyun Ko (10-2):
The only losses Ko has is to former UFC fighter Sasha Palatnikov and RTU alum, Han Seul Kim. Ko is a southpaw that favors his left hand. He's also good with the right jab and left high kick. Ko has a tendency to throw the same thing over and over which you can see with his left hand. In his last three fights, it's worked out in his favor. If Ko continues to just throw the jab more and set up his punches he'll be a dangerous middleweight. There is no evidence to prove he can be a top prospect because he has yet to beat a credible fighter.

Bantamweight, Sung Jun Park (6-1):
After losing his pro debut, Park hasn't lost since. Park is still growing as a fighter but has a lot of upside already. His striking is really good. He can get drawn into scraps but excels at when the fight is slowed down. He's a technical striker with clean fast hands. He's good at going body-head mixing it up constantly. Park just gets hit too much and that's what's keeping him away from being a top prospect out of his country. He has real potential if he cleans up his defense.

These are the only fighters from South Korea I see with any potential. Wanted to show the are some love since we are seeing more and more of these fighters on things like Road to UFC.