"Invincible Rising Star? You Just Haven't Faced Me Yet": Yoo Soo-yeong Defeats Cody Corbanek via Submission, "It Doesn't Matter Who My Next Opponent Is" [UFC]

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Even Cody Corbanek (28, Canada), the "invincible rising star" known for his powerful striking, was helplessly defeated by the grappling skills of "Jiu-Jitsu" Yoo Soo-yeong (30).

On the 18th (Korean time), at UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott held at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Yoo Soo-yeong secured a submission victory with 41 seconds remaining in the third round of his bantamweight bout.

After winning three consecutive fights following his UFC debut in 2024, Yoo Soo-yeong suffered his first UFC loss to Elijah Smith last March. He gritted his teeth and, in his return bout after seven months, achieved his first finish victory, bringing his overall record to 3 wins and 1 loss.

After the weigh-in and face-off, Yoo Soo-yeong had stated, "I want to dominate my opponent in every area, including striking and grappling." He overwhelmed Corbanek, who had boldly declared, "I am confident I will KO Yoo Soo-yeong this weekend."

In the early stages of the first round, Yoo Soo-yeong engaged in a probing phase. After being pushed into the corner, he instead initiated an aggressive takedown and began accumulating points from advantageous positions. Striker Corbanek struggled to find a solution despite the one-sided support of the home crowd. Although the fighter was on an upward trend with 9 wins and no losses in mixed martial arts, he came to feel the high wall of the UFC against Yoo Soo-yeong.

From his top position, Yoo Soo-yeong applied pressure to his opponent and consistently landed strikes to drain his stamina. It was a first round that clearly demonstrated his superiority in grappling.

In the second round, he fought more aggressively, focusing primarily on grappling. He tackled Corbanek to the ground from the early part of the round, and the same situation as in the first round repeated itself. If the fight ended this way, Yoo Soo-yeong would have comfortably won by decision.

In the third round, it was Corbanek who was in a hurry. He aggressively dashed forward at the start of the round attempting strikes, but Yoo Soo-yeong effectively dodged them as if he had been waiting for the moment and executed a takedown, continuing the fight from an advantageous position.

The ground control time exceeded 10 minutes, meaning Corbanek's stamina was inevitably depleted. With less than one minute remaining until the end of the fight, Yoo Soo-yeong looked for an opening. He caught him in a submission hold, and Corbanek's face turned bright red before he finally tapped out.

According to News1, after the match, Yoo Soo-yeong said, "My nickname is 'Jiu-Jitsu,' so I wanted to show performance worthy of it, but I am happy that I won this fight with a finish." He explained, "An armbar or triangle choke could have come in the second round, but since rushing could lead to a reversal, I fought calmly until the third round."

His confidence grew along with his first finish. Yoo Soo-yeong stated, "It doesn't matter who my next opponent is. I want to win with good performance then as well," and revealed his plan: "I will spend about two weeks with my family before starting training again."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original