"Korean" Smith Overpowered Yoo Soo-young, Respect "We Are One Linked to Blood" Even After Win

*This content was translated by AI.

Yoo Soo-young (31) of "Yu-Jitsu" suffered her first submission defeat in the UFC. On the other hand, Elijah Smith (23, USA), a Korean fighter who defeated Yoo Soo-young, emphasized his Korean ancestry right after the victory and expressed deep respect for the loser.

Yoo Soo-young recorded a submission loss to Smith by a rear-naked choke at 1:04 of the second round in the undercard bantamweight game of "UFC Fight Night: Emmet vs. Bachet Horse" at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on the 15th (Korea Standard Time). Yoo Soo-young, who has won two consecutive octagon games since winning ROAD TO UFC Season 3, has been suspended due to this defeat, and has lost 16 wins, 4 losses and 2 invalidity in her career with the first submission loss in MMA career history.

According to UFC, Yoo Soo-young said before the match, "I think I'm a tough opponent, but I'm a player who will be the foundation for going to the ranker," adding, "The key to victory is to trust me and show all the things I prepared." To this end, Kim Dong-hyun and champion Merab Devalishvili in U.S. training have been fully prepared.

The atmosphere was good at the beginning of the game. The first round was Yoo Soo-young's landslide victory. When Smith opened the scoring with a sharp one-two combination, Yoo Soo-young immediately tried a takedown and countered. Although he allowed his head to Smith's counter-knick and uppercut, Yoo Soo-young did not give in and made four takedowns, pressing the opponent with ground control for 2:42 minutes. All three jersey players had enough momentum to score the first round with Yoo Soo-young's dominance.

However, the flow changed rapidly in the second round. Yoo Soo-young sought a takedown shortly after the start, but Smith, who saw through it, blocked the entry with a powerful uppercut and hook counter. Yoo Soo-young, who was pushed out after Smith's short right-handed uppercut and left-handed hook consecutively in the clinch state, was knocked down by the subsequent right-handed hook. Smith poured a foundation on Yoo Soo-young, who collapsed, and immediately closed the rear-naked choke when Yoo Soo-young gave up his back during the defense process.

Quarter Korean Smith, whose grandmother is Korean, said in a post-match interview, "After the first round, I thought I had felt everything Yoo Soo-young had, and I came out stronger in the second round," adding, "I knew I could do what I wanted if I found my flow."

At the press conference, Smith said, "I give respect to the opponent Yoo Soo-young," adding, "I have Korean ancestry. My maternal grandmother and uncle are pure Koreans. No matter where I am, I want to represent Korean ancestry and we are one connected with blood," he stressed. He also expressed his deep affection for Korea by explaining his daughter's Korean name, Nayomi tattoo, which he engraved on his left shoulder.

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*This content was translated by AI.