Road FC 55 took place on Sunday night in Daegu with a local grudge match which had the featherweight title at stake in the main event.
It was an exciting night of fights for the Korean organization with all six main card matchups ending in the opening round, either by way of submission or knockout.
The featherweight title fight between Lee Jeong Yeong and Park Hae Jin was highly anticipated and the two Daegu natives entered the arena to a loud reception. But in the end Lee only needed 10 seconds to successfully defend his featherweight title.
Lee and Park ran to the center of the cage and met full force. The reigning champion pawed out a lead uppercut to gauge range and swung across with a straight right hand that flatlined Park instantly.
Maiden loss
Lee jumped on top and pounded down a few more for insurance before the referee jumped in to put an end to the action.
In a concerning moment after the stoppage, Park laid on the canvas motionless with his eyes closed for a few minutes while the doctors tried to awake the unconscious title challenger.
Park (7-1) loses for the first time as a professional after knocking off seven in a row. The young 26-year-old will look to rebuild by adding a striking arsenal and fight himself back into title contention.
Meanwhile, Lee (7-1) easily succeeds in his first title defense by obtaining his fifth finish. Arguably the best featherweight in South Korea not signed to a major promotion, the 23-year-old striker would be an obvious candidate for the upcoming UFC Busan event in December.
Groundhog day
The most confusing matchmaking of the night happened in the co-main event. Chris Barnett took a rematch against Shim Gun-Oh and even though it was a different day, the result was the same.
Both fighters came out swinging for the fences and missing terribly for the first few exchanges. After an eye poke by Barnett, Shim played the dangerous game of eating haymakers and marching forward. He finally was able to tie up his opponent but a punch to the lower region in the clinch had Barnett screaming in agony.
When they returned to action, Shim continued to walk down Barnett while absorbing shots. A right hook slowly collapsed the Korean behemoth and the referee ran in before Barnett could inflict any more unnecessary damage.
While Barnett (19-6) has hit the resurgence button recently by winning four straight, Shim (5-4) has been the poster boy for inconsistency.
In other notable action, fan-favorite Nandin Erdene (9-6) knocked out fading Taekowndo master Hong Young Gi (5-6) in the first round with a devastating right hand meanwhile undefeated prospect Jung Yoon Jae (5-0) skillfully dismantled 29-fight veteran Lee Hyung Seok (16-14) in the less than two minutes.
Road FC 55, Daegu, September 8th
Lee Jeong Yeong def. Park Hae Jin via KO (Punch) at 0:10 of Round 1 (Defends Road FC 145lbs Title)
Chris Barnett def. Shim Gun-Oh via KO (Punch) at 3:44 of Round 1
Nandin Erdene def. Hong Young Gi via KO (Punch) at 2:02 of Round 1
Jung Won Hee def. Emil Abasov via TKO (Punches) at 4:06 of Round 1
Hong Yoon Ha def. Kim Kyo Lin via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:00 of Round 1
Jung Yoon Jae def. Lee Hyung Seok via TKO (Punches) at 1:44 of Round 1
Yoon Ho Young def. Takagi Daishi via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 0:29 of Round 1
Yeo Je Woo def. Shin Ji-Seung via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of Round 2
Shin Jae Hwan def. Kim Jin Kuk via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of Round 2
Oh Il-Hak def. Jin Ik Tae via Decision (Split) at 5:00 of Round 2
Choi Woo Hyuk def. Shoitbek Bazarbaev via Decision (Split) at 5:00 of Round 2
Lee Jung Hoon def. Hwang Chang Hwan via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of Round 2
Kim Tae Sung def. Yang Ji Hwan via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of Round 2
