Following his defeat to Liu WenBo in a 185-lbs title clash at Legend FC 10, Yang Hae Jun (9-5) was contemplating a move to Light Heavyweight. And now, after going 2-2 at 205-lbs, it looks like the 25-year-old is hungry for a shot at Legend FC’s Light Heavyweight strap.
According to Yang, his tough weight cut(s) to 185-lbs were affecting his performances in the ring.
Legend FC’s Yang Hae Jun eyes 205-lbs crown
“It’s very hard for me to lose weight. I had to pay detailed attention to my diet and training for more than a month to fight as a middleweight, but I felt like I sacrificed both the power and speed that I had as a light heavyweight., ” he explained. “I had a brutal weight cut for the fight with Liu Wenbo, and it made me realize that I prefer to fight in the light heavyweight division.”
That loss to Middleweight champion Liu Wenbo (8-5) was his second in a row. Prior to that defeat, he dropped a Majority decision to Canadian Vaughn Anderson (16-1).
However, the tides changed when the South Korea-native rebounded with back-to-back victories, including a Unanimous Decision win over Sam Brown (12-6) in Legend FC’s first visit to Malaysia this past April.
Along with a brilliantly executed game plan, Yang credited his win to Master Baek, who had put together his training regime at Korea’s Nova MMA.
“Even though I beat Sam Brown, I know he is a dangerous fighter, ” Yang said. “I know he has asked for a rematch, and with his well-rounded skill set, anything can happen in a second fight.”
But before there can be talks about a rematch, Yuki Niimura (4-2) is a fighter that has certainly grasped Yang’s attention. And the 25-year-old did not hide his intentions about wanting to face Niimura in his next Legend outing. He describes the Japanese DEEP veteran as a fighter who ‘has sharp striking and a great ground defense ability’.
Even so, although it’s evident that Yang excels at both wrestling and boxing, he believes he still has a long way to go and is looking to take on any opponent who will test his skills and enable him to develop as a fighter.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Follow Thinesh on Twitter (@ThineshJohnMMA), and keep up with the latest MMA news from MMASucka via Twitter (@MMASucka) and Facebook
