'China Fighter Suppressed': Park Bo-hyun's Thrilling Comeback Victory, 'Only Korean Female UFC Fighter' in Sight... Advances to RTU Semifinals

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Bo-hyun (27), who is challenging for the spot of Korea's only female UFC fighter, secured a thrilling comeback victory on Chinese soil and advanced to the semifinals.

On the 29th (Korean time), Park Bo-hyun defeated Dong Huashang (27, China) of the home ground with a 2-1 split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) in the Round of 8 of the Strawweight Tournament on Day 2 of the ROAD TO UFC Season 5 Opening Round, held at Galaxy Arena in Macao Special Administrative Region, China. This tournament is a stage that awards UFC entry tickets to promising mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters from Asia and the Taipingyang region.

The early flow of the match was unstable. Park Bo-hyun lost the initiative immediately after the start of the first round, allowing Dong Huashang to take her down three times. Although she quickly got up from the lower position and escaped the crisis, she failed to land any significant effective strikes to make up for the score. Amidst the poor flow, all three judges scored the first round in favor of Dong Huashang.

However, the atmosphere turned around starting from the second round. Dong Huashang, who attempted as many as five takedowns in the first round and committed over-pacing, became sluggish in her movements. Dong Huashang attempted takedowns seven times in the second round as well, persistently grappling, but Park Bo-hyun blocked all of them, showcasing an impenetrable defense.

Having seized the initiative through defense, Park Bo-hyun launched a full-scale offensive assault from the middle of the second round. Following the coaches' instructions, she appropriately mixed punches to the abdomen, diversifying her striking approach, which caused Dong Huashang's guard to become loose. Seizing the opportunity, Park Bo-hyun's sharp clean strikes began to land repeatedly on her opponent's face, and in the final moments of the round, she successfully executed a takedown in reverse, completely taking control of the atmosphere.

In the third round, which became the turning point of the match, Park Bo-hyun displayed her tireless stamina and drove Dong Huashang into the corner with a flurry of sharp punches. Although Dong Huashang managed to execute a takedown once with a desperate attempt near the end of the match, Park Bo-hyun immediately got back up.

Thereafter, the striking exchanges were entirely in Park Bo-hyun's favor. Park Bo-hyun's fists repeatedly landed on Dong Huashang's face, creating an overwhelming margin of 24 to 8 in effective head strikes. She dominated her opponent, whose stamina was exhausted, throughout the clinch situations, firmly securing the victory.

The result of the fierce battle concluded with Park Bo-hyun's split decision victory, chosen by two of the judges. While the second round was closely contested, one referee scored it for Dong Huashang, while the other two scored it for Park Bo-hyun, determining the final outcome.

According to UFC, Park Bo-hyun stated in an interview immediately after the match, "At first, I couldn't get the distance right and allowed one punch, but I actually thought it was just tickling." She added, "I heard that the opponent was strong in takedowns and was worried, but when we actually clashed, I was glad that I could block them. Maintaining a physical advantage until the last round was a key factor in the victory."

Currently, there is not a single Korean female fighter active on the UFC stage. If Park Bo-hyun wins this tournament, she will be named the only active Korean female fighter. Historically, this is an opportunity to become the fourth Korean female octagon fighter following Ham Seo-hee, Kim Ji-yeon, and Jeon Chan-mi.

Meanwhile, in the special main event held on this day, a fierce matchup between active UFC fighters unfolded. Sming (31, China), a former ROAD TO UFC Season 3 Strawweight champion, engaged in a ground battle against India's Pooja Tomar (32) and ultimately secured a perfect arm-triangle choke submission victory in 3 minutes and 12 seconds of the first round.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.