ROAD Fighting Championship is set to showcase its 13th installment this weekend, October 12, at the J.H. Park Stadium situated in Gumi, South Korea.
Fans will able to catch all the action online for a price of $9.99, at the following link.
The promotion’s staggering 12-bout fight card is set to be headlined by a rematch between Nam Yui-Chul (16-4-1) and Kume Takasuke (15-2-4).
Fight card preview heading into this weekend’s ROAD FC 013
Chul garnered the ROAD FC Lightweight strap after going 4 rounds against Takasuke ROAD FC 011 in April of this year. 6 months on, the champ has now been tasked to face Takasuke once again in a rematch, making his first defense of the 145-lbs title.
Both Yui-Chul and Takasuke were finalists of the South Korea-based promotion’s Lightweight tournament. The bout was initially scheduled for 3 rounds. However, 15 minutes was not enough for the judges to render a decision and a winner. A fourth and final round was eventually slated and it was Yui-Chul who took home a close Unanimous Decision victory along with the promotion’s Lightweight belt.
ROAD FC’s 145-lbs tournament semi-finals will also be under the spotlight, with the brackets featuring some of the region’s top Featherweight fighters.
In the first bracket, following his Decision victory over former UFC vet Michihiro Omigawa in the quarter-finals, Bae Young Kwon (8-3) returns and he will be locking horns with DEEP staple, Umeda Kosuke (13-12-3). With more than twice as many fights as his opponent, Kosuke’s experience will play a pivotal role in this one. Kwon, in the meantime, needs no introductions, having fought in ONE FC and being labelled as one of South Korea’s top MMA talents.
The second semi-final bout pits Kil Young Bok (5-2) against Choi Moo Gyum (1-0). Both fighters earned decision victories in their quarter finals match-ups at ROAD FC 012 en route to booking their tickets to the semis.
Japanese legend Minowaman (59-35-8) will also feature this weekend against Kim Hoon (9-9-1, 1 NC), in one of the main card’s super-fights.
Making his 3rd appearance under the ROAD FC banner, Japanese MMA staple Minowaman brings a resume of over 100 professional MMA bouts. The 37-year-old’s storied MMA career has spanned across numerous promotions, most notably DREAM, PRIDE and the UFC.
Kim Hoon, in the meantime, is a former Legend FC and Pancrase veteran who’s currently on a 2-3 run in his past five bouts. Having faced the likes of Rodney MacSwain and the UFC’s Robert Whittaker, the South Korean will be hoping to use that high-level experience when he makes his promotional ROAD FC debut.
A welterweight bout pitting Vitor Belfort protege, Andrews Nakahara (4-2-1), against Jung Hwan Cha (10-6-2) will serve as the co-main event.
Nakahara, 30, is unbeaten in his last three outings. He made his ROAD FC debut at ROAD FC 012 against the highly-touted former Legend FC champ Bae Myung Ho, although that match-up was declared a draw after 15 minutes. Nakahara’s two defeats came against PRIDE veterans Kazushi Sakuraba and Ryo Chonnan.
Like his opponent, “The Stonecutter” Jung Hwan Cha is coming off a draw in his previous outing and is unbeaten in his last 3 bouts. He boasts quite an impressive resume in the Asian region, having fought the likes of George Sotiropoulos, Dong Hyun Kim, Igor Gracie and Luiz Ramos.
Issei Tamura was one of ROAD FC’s prolific signings of the summer, and fans will certainly be anticipating the promotional debut of the former UFC vet.
Tamura (7-4), 29, recorded consecutive defeats against Raphael Assuncao and T.J. Dillashaw before being future endeavored. Despite his 1-2 stint with the UFC, however, the Krazy Bee native holds notable victories over China’s Zhang Tie Quan and ONE FC’s Gustavo Falciroli, bringing a no-nonsense resume to his ROAD FC debut.
Welcoming Tamura to ROAD FC will be none other than former 135-lbs contender, Min Jong Song. Commonly known as “The Running Man”, Song has picked up a record of 5-6, with an MMA career spanning just over three years. Having faced the likes of Andrew Leone and Masakatsu Ueda, Song has had his fair share of ups and downs in his career thus far and will be looking to get back in the win column following a defeat in his last outing at ROAD FC 012.
Riki Fukuda (19-7) was initially slated to compete on the stacked fight card as well, but an infection rendered him unable to compete.
Check out the final line-up for ROAD FC 013 below:
- Nam Yui-Chul vs. Kume Takasuke (For ROAD FC Lightweight title)
- Andrews Nakahara vs. Cha Jung Hwan
- Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa vs. Kim Hoon
- Song Min Jong vs. Issei Tamura
- Kwon A Sol vs. Koji Nakamura
- Kwon Bae Yong vs. Kosuke Umeda (ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament Semi-Final match-up)
- Kil Young Bok vs. Choi Moo Gyum (ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament Semi-Final match-up)
- Makoto Kamaya vs. Lee Yun Jun
- Yoon Heo vs. Jo Byoung Oak
- Yoon Jae Oon vs. Jeon Uh Jin
- Kim Hyoo Ryong vs. Han Ee Moon
- Kim Seong Jae vs. Kim Gyu Hwa
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