Rising Korean Featherweight Brian Choi Talks One FC Network

Brian Choi

special to MMMAWeekly.com by James Goyder
Fighters and fans are already starting to benefit from the formation of the ‘ONE FC Network’ which was announced yesterday. One December 3rd fight fans in Korea will see two fighters currently contracted to ONE FC, Brian Choi and, Vuyisile Colossa, make an appearance at Road FC 5
For Choi it will be a homecoming because he was born in Seoul but has not lived there for the last three years. He lives and trains at Evolve MMA in Singapore which is also home to Shinya Aoki and Rafael Dos Anjos and is rapidly developing a reputation as being the top fight team in Asia.
His record currently stands at 3-0 and he is up against another top 145lber in 5-2 Bae Young Kwon. It will be a fight for featherweight supremacy in Korea which should be witnessed by 7,000 fans at the Jangchung Gymnasium.
Choi is already been tipped to follow in the footsteps of Chan Sung Jung and make it into the UFC and he took time out from his training to talk to MMAWeekly.com about returning to Korea and being part of the ‘ONE FC Network’.
MMAWeekly.com: How excited are you to be fighting MMA in Korea?
Brian Choi: It’s every fighter’s dream to fight in there hometown in front of a huge crowd. I am beyond excited about this big event.
MMAWeekly.com: Do you still follow the MMA scene in Korea closely? How much of an impact has Road FC had?
Yes, I do follow the MMA scene in Korea. Road FC is an upcoming promotion but in a short while they’ve become the biggest promotion in Korea. It’s great to have that type of event to showcase the talent that is coming out of Korea.
BC: How long is it since you moved to Singapore, will it be strange going back to fight?
I’ve been living and training in Singapore for 3 years now. I do not think it will be weird to fight in my hometown, I am excited to be there. Korean fans are great. I feel honored to represent Korea by being part of the best fight team, Evolve Fight Team.
MMAWeekly.com: Will you have a lot of friends and family there or are you expecting your opponent to have a lot more support because he trains in Korea?
BC: I’m lucky to have my coaches and some of my teammates there to support me. My family and friends will definitely be there. I am not concerned with my opponents fans. I think all the Koreans will want to see a good fight and that’s what I have been training for.
MMAWeekly.com: How grateful are you to One FC for allowing you to fight in your homeland even though you are under contract to them?
BC: I am very grateful for the opportunities One FC has given me as a fighter. They are a professional organization and I have full faith that my fight career will be well managed under them.
MMAWeekly.com: Have you looked at any footage of Bae Young Kwon yet? Do you have a gameplan?
BC: I have not spent any time watching fight footage of my opponent. I’m a little superstitious like that.
My coaches have a game plan for me. Chatri and my training partners have been preparing me for this fight. I know what I have to do when I get into the ring.
MMAWeekly.com: If you win this fight you will be very close to the top of the Korean 145 lbs rankings, behind Chan Sung-Jung (The Korean Zombie), is that something you are thinking about?
BC: The thought has crossed my mind but I am more focused on my upcoming fight against Bae Young Kwon. I am training hard each day so I will be ready for him.
MMAWeekly.com: Do you know when your first fight for One FC will be?
BC: I don’t know yet. I am a ONE FC fighter, but I have not been told about my first fight on ONE FC yet.
MMAWeekly.com: What did you think of the first One FC show?
BC: I was amazed by it. I’ve never seen an MMA event like that in Asia. I was very proud of my team mates.
The Evolve Fighters put on some great fights. The support and interest from the fans made the event a huge success. I am excited to fight in the upcoming One FC events.
MMAWeekly.com: Can you tell us a bit about the training at Evolve MMA? Who do you train with and how often do you train?
BC: I train 5-6 hours daily in all disciplines with the world champion coaching staff at Evolve MMA. it doesn’t get better than that. My training partners and coaches push me hard and focus on improving my weakness and developing my strengths.
Brian Choi next faces Bae Young Kwon at Road FC in Korea

Danial Herbertson: Phil Baroni, Yoshiyuki Yoshida on Weight for Inaugural ONE FC

With one exception, all fighters were on weight for ONE Fighting Championship's inaugural event including UFC veterans Phil Baroni, Yoshiyuki Yoshida and former WBA World super featherweight champion Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai.

The Ultimate Fighter season five contestant Andy Wang was the sole fighter to have trouble on the scales, coming in at 163.1 lbs - 4.1 lbs over the 159-pound weight limit. It is assumed at this stage that Wang's opponent, Carlos Gracie, Jr. Brazlian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt Zorobabel Moreira, will take 15 percent of Wang's purse and the bout will be contested at a catchweight. The bout was initially set at 155 lbs but it is believed that Wang requested the bout be moved to 159 lbs in the weeks leading up to the fight.

The first event for the Singapore-based ONE FC is set to take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore and will be broadcast on ESPN StarSports through Asia and streamed online to the rest of the world. The full weigh-in results are after the break.

ONE FC 1: Champion vs. Champion. Sept. 3 at Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore
A Sol Kwon (155 lbs) vs. Eduard Folayang (155.9 lbs)
Phil Baroni (175.3 lbs) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (174.8 lbs)
Mitch Chilson (145.5 lbs) vs. Eric Kelly (142.4 lbs)
Gregor Gracie (169.37 lbs) vs. Seok Mo Kim (169.7 lbs)
Andy Wang (163.1 lbs) vs. Zorobabel Moreira (158.9 lbs)
Eddie Ng (159.6 lbs) vs. Yuan Chun Bo (154.3 lbs)
Radeem Rahman (125.2) vs. Susovan Ghosh (125.2 lbs)
Vuyisile Colossa (160.7 lbs) vs. Ma Xing Yu (155.2 lbs)
Daniel Mashamaite (136 lbs) vs. Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai (135.1 lbs)
Soo Chul Kim (135.5) vs. Leandro Issa (136.5)

Considering Retirement Before His Last Fight, Yoshiyuki Yoshida Has His Confidence Back

It wasn’t long ago that Japanese Judoka Yoshiyuki Yoshida was making his debut in the UFC with bright prospects for the future.
In his run to make it to the UFC, Yoshida picked up a dominant win over former top ten fighter Akira Kikuchi, and was coming off a win over future Octagon fighter Dan Hardy as well (although that was by disqualification after an illegal groin strike).
Yoshida’s Octagon career started off well when he choked out former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor War Machine in his debut fight. That’s when his rough patch started.
A knockout loss to Josh Koscheck definitely served as a wake-up call to Yoshida just how tough the competition was in the UFC. He bounced back with a win over Brandon Wolff before suffering another crushing knockout at the hands of Anthony Johnson. That was followed by a decision loss to Mike Guymon before getting bounced from the UFC.
Yoshida got another shot at a big time MMA promotion when he fought in Bellator in 2010, but that didn’t go his way either after being TKO’d by Chris Lozano in his only fight there.
So going into his last fight against Ferrid Kheder, the deck was definitely stacked against Yoshida. He admits that the pressure was mounting off three straight losses, where a fourth may have brought about the end of his career.
“I felt so much pressure before this fight,” Yoshida told MMAWeekly.com. “If I lost that fight, then maybe my career as a MMA fighter would have been done, and I would be looking for an another job.”
It was a hard road to go down for Yoshida. Along with the three losses in a row, he started to lose confidence and then the faith he had in his own abilities started to fade as well.
But through hard work and perseverance in the gym, Yoshida started to break through the wall a little bit at a time. Like chipping away at a piece of sandstone, Yoshida was able to reform himself into the fighter he knew he was just a few years ago, and a better fighter could emerge for the future.
“For this past two years or so, I struggled a lot. I couldn’t win fights and I almost stopped believing in myself, but I just continued training every day and, little by little, I think I got back onto the right track,” said Yoshida.
“So right now I am feeling good, and training with Japan’s top fighters every day.”
The next step in Yoshida’s return will come this weekend at One FC in Singapore where he faces fellow Octagon veteran Phil Baroni. Like past opponents, Yoshida is well aware of the knockout power that Baroni possesses, but it’s nothing he hasn’t seen before.
“I know it’s dangerous to exchange punches with Phil. So I have a strategy on how to fight Phil, but just can’t reveal my tactics here,” Yoshida commented.
In the long term, like a lot of fighters, Yoshida would love the chance to prove he belongs in the UFC, but that’s in the distance for now.
Yoshida’s immediate goals only go as far as Singapore, One FC, and a fight with Phil Baroni this weekend.
“Ultimately, I would like to get another chance in the UFC, but, for now, I am only thinking about doing a good fight for One FC and win in the One FC, that’s all,” said Yoshida.
“And if I win, I am sure there will be another opportunity for me.”

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Yoshiyuki Yoshida: Preparing for the Biggest Fight of his Life at ONE Fighting Championship

September 3rd will be a date with destiny for Japanese mixed martial artist Yoshiyuki Yoshida. He has fought all over the world in a glorious career but his next bout, with Phil Baroni at One Fighting Championship, will be the most important fight of his life.

Yoshida once went almost three years unbeaten, winning eight consecutive fights and being picked up by the UFC after defeating Dan Hardy in the final of the Cage Force Welterweight Tournament.
His UFC career got off to a good start as he won two of his first three fights but that organization is nothing if not ruthless and Yoshida found himself unceremoniously cut after posting back to back losses.
He was still one of the most sought after Japanese fighters and Bellator wasted no time in securing his signature only for him to surprisingly lose to the then unbeaten welterweight prospect Chris Lozano with a swollen eye forcing his corner to throw in the towel.
The fourth degree Judo black belt from Tokyo took almost a year off after this loss but he bounced back in emphatic style, stopping Ferrid Kheder in the opening round of their fight in France earlier this year.
In 25 fights Kheder had never been stopped but Yoshida wasted little time in destroying that record, rolling back the years and forcing the referee to step in after unleashing a barrage of unanswered punches.
His reward for that impressive performance was almost instantaneous. The promoters of Asia’s biggest new mixed martial arts show were looking for a big name Japanese fighter to face Phil Baroni on their inaugural show and Yoshida’s win over Kheder put him firmly in the frame.
One Fighting Championship is an ambitious new MMA promotion. The first event will be witnessed by 12,000 fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and a domestic TV deal with Media Corp in Singapore, an international TV deal with ESPN Star Sports and the decision to stream the show live on the internet for free means that the viewing audience will be the largest in MMA history.
With such a large audience this could be fantastic opportunity for the Japanese Judoka to revitalize his career by winning back to back fights and defeating a fellow legend in Baroni,
“I had offers from all over the world and my manager Shu Hirata was on the phone talking to promoters and matchmakers a minute after I defeated Khedder. I chose to fight for One Fighting Championship because it feel it has got a great potential as an MMA promotion. They also offered me a great opponent in Phil Baroni so it was an easy choice,” he said.
Industry experts have expressed surprised that the fight between Yoshida and Baroni didn’t happen sooner. The American was extremely successful in Japan, winning four out of six fights, and the two of them were also fighting for the UFC during the same period,
“I used to watch Phil fight in Pride and we both fought in the UFC so we could easily have ended up fighting each other sooner than this. I am actually happy that I can fight Phil in ONE FC, in Singapore, I feel this is our destiny,” he said.
The now defunct Pride was the most successful promotion in the history of Japanese MMA and many feel that One Fighting Championship is the natural successor to Pride. The reason for this is partly the Asian emphasis but is also due to the promotion’s decision to adopt the Pride rule set which was particularly popular with fight fans.
In One Fighting Championship soccer kicks and stomps will be allowed and there are far fewer rules than in most MMA promotions. The introduction of Pride rules will create much more exciting fights for the fans and encourage the fighters to be far more aggressive,
“I believe these rules are good for the fighters because they force us to improve on our techniques. With only a few prohibited moves I will have to be skilled in every part of the game so it’s going to be tough. Phil has already fought in PRIDE so he will have an advantage but I have been sparring every day with this set of rules in mind so I am ok with it,” he said.
Yoshida’s last few fights have all been on foreign soil and as he has established a truly global reputation he has been invited to fight for big shows in the US, Canada, France and now Singapore. Although he forged a reputation fighting in Japan he feels that his professional future currently lies elsewhere
“To me the major League of MMA is outside Japan now so I have no intention of fighting for the Japanese promotions. I want to test myself in a harder environment so I can improve more as a fighter which is why fighting for One Fighting Championship was such an obvious choice" he said.
MMA is a high pressure environment in which even by professional sporting standards there is an enormous emphasis on winning. As he reaches the twilight of his career Yoshida knows that this next fight will effectively decide his destiny. A win would make him the most marketable Japanese fighter in the world whereas a loss could be potentially catastrophic,
“Every fight is important and every fight is a hard fight for me but this is one fight I cannot lose. I am going all out to utilize all my skills, my heart and my power and I will win,” he said.
Events are scheduled to take place in countries all over Asia and Yoshida has an incredible opportunity to be at the forefront of this expansion but first he has to get past the challenge of Baroni in Singapore on September 3rd.
For more information about ONE Fighting Championship visit: www.onefc.com.