'Kim Dong-hyun's student' succeeds, Song Young-jae's dramatic comeback → Subdues 'Japanese fighter' Aoi Jin with rear-naked choke... Advances to RTU semifinals

*This content was translated by AI.

'Stun Gun' Kim Dong-hyun's student, Song Young-jae (30), staged a dramatic comeback to pass the first hurdle toward his UFC debut.

Song Young-jae (10 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss) secured a thrilling rear-naked choke submission victory over Japan's Aoi Jin (29) in just 3 minutes and 39 seconds of the second round at the quarterfinal match of 'ROAD TO UFC (RTU) Season 5 Opening Round: Day 2' held at Galaxy Arena in Macao Special Administrative Region, China, on the 28th (Korean time).

It was a dramatic comeback victory achieved from the brink of defeat. Song Young-jae was shaken early in the first round after absorbing Aoi Jin's powerful right overhand hook, struggled while caught in Aoi's bodylock takedown tactics, and then suffered another right overhand hook that sent him crashing to the octagon floor in a critical moment. Fortunately, the impact landed on his forearm rather than his fist, so it did not lead to a fight-ending finish, but in a desperate grappling exchange near the cage, he grabbed the fence twice in a panic and received a verbal warning from the referee.

The second round brought further misfortune. While defending against Aoi's takedown attempt, Song Young-jae landed a knee kick on Aoi's head, which was touching the ground. Under the unified UFC rules, attempting a knee kick on an opponent in a grounded position is a strict foul. The referee immediately stopped the fight and deducted one point from Song Young-jae. Already trailing on the round scorecards, the point deduction made a decision victory highly unlikely.

In a moment of crisis, the comeback came not from striking but from grappling. Although known for his striking strength, Song Young-jae, who had somewhat weaker ground game, calmly defended against Aoi's bodylock takedown attempt in the middle of the second round and immediately countered. He then exploited the opening as Aoi tried to stand up from a bottom position, wrapping his arms tightly around Aoi's neck, and secured the submission victory after a persistent choke pressure.

According to UFC, in the official post-fight interview, Song Young-jae said, "My opponent ran the fight very calmly. I struggled after absorbing powerful hooks." He added, "There are so many areas to improve, including my understanding of grappling, stamina, and determination in the fight, and I learned thoroughly from my past defeat."

Even while exiting backstage, Song Young-jae conveyed a message of reflection to the combat sports fans. He stated, "I am so happy to win, but due to my lack of experience, I got too excited, grabbed the cage, and committed a ground knee kick foul. I want to sincerely apologize to my opponent. I will prepare well for the remaining fights and will definitely win the championship," burning with determination.

Meanwhile, Im Gwan-woo (24), who also competed in the same featherweight tournament, was completely overwhelmed by China's Aheerzhang Airinuer (27) in a wrestling battle and suffered a decisive loss. Im Gwan-woo was trapped in an unfavorable bottom position under pressure for 10 minutes and 24 seconds out of the 15th-minute fight time, eventually losing by unanimous decision (27-30, 27-30, 27-30) after allowing six takedowns, failing to advance to the semifinals.

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*This content was translated by AI.