'First UFC Loss' Yoo Soo-young to Challenge '9-Fight Unbeaten Fighter' for Third Win... Return After 7 Months

*This content was translated by AI.

'Yoo-Jit-Su' Yoo Soo-young (30) aims to shake off the pain of her first octagon defeat and restart her UFC winning streak with a third victory in Canada, her home away from home.

Yoo Soo-young will face Cody Covancek (28, Canada), an undefeated Canadian fighter with nine wins, on October 18 (Korean time) at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, as part of the undercard for 'UFC Fight Night: Berkeley vs. Malet' in the bantamweight division (61.2kg).

Yoo Soo-young successfully entered the octagon by winning the ROAD TO UFC Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament in November 2024. After her debut victory, she secured a unanimous decision win over Xiaolong, a tough striker with a Wushu Sanda background, in her second fight to extend her record to two consecutive wins.

However, she was defeated by Eliza Smith last March. Despite completing rigorous preparations, including training camps in the U.S. with 'Stun Gun' Kim Dong-hyun and sparring with champion Merab Dvalishvili, Yoo Soo-young dominated the first round with powerful chain takedowns and overwhelming ground control.

In the second round, early in the frame, she was knocked down by a combination of Smith's uppercut and hook counter. During her attempt to defend against pounding, she lost back position and ultimately submitted via rear-naked choke at 1 minute and 4 seconds into the round. This marked Yoo Soo-young's first career submission loss, despite having previously secured five submission victories as a jiu-jitsu black belt.

After this painful defeat, Yoo Soo-young will face an undefeated fighter from the opposing side in her return bout after seven months. Covancek, making his UFC debut in this fight, is a Thai-Canadian and former Unified MMA Bantamweight Champion based in Edmonton, where the event takes place. He earned his UFC contract by defeating Rafah El Uzekbou with a third-round punch KO at Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) last year and will step onto the octagon stage after 13 months.

Covancek, who belongs to Canada's prestigious Niagara Top Team, is a well-rounded fighter proficient in both Muay Thai and wrestling. Among his nine consecutive wins, he has recorded four (T)KOs and two submission victories, boasting a finish rate of 66.7%.

Yoo Soo-young plans to leverage her signature grappling skills to secure a victory on foreign soil. During her six fights in ROAD TO UFC and the UFC, she successfully executed 23 takedowns and maintained advantageous top position for over 28 minutes and 40 seconds—more than one-third of total fight time—demonstrating exceptional control. With improved striking accuracy recently, she aims to prove her evolution as a mixed martial artist in this comeback bout.

Meanwhile, the main event of this tournament will feature welterweight ranked No. 10 Joaquin Berkeley (USA) going head-to-head with Mike Malet (Canada), who enjoys strong support from home fans and is ranked No. 13. While Berkeley faces mounting pressure to rebound after consecutive losses to Sean Brady and Kamaru Usman, Malet has surged forward with four straight victories over Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland, setting the stage for an intense matchup.

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*This content was translated by AI.