The Korean Zombie is clearly coming towards the end of his career but several of his compatriots have been enjoying UFC success. Leading the way is middleweight Jun Yong Park who is riding a three fight winning streak.
He faces Albert Duraev at UFC Vegas 77 this weekend. There are currently eight Koreans on the UFC roster and it was put to Park that he might be a role model for some of the younger fighters from his country.
It is not a role the 31 year old seems ready to embrace just yet,
“I don’t want to make it seem like I’m the master or above anyone. I want to continue showing good performances and grow from that, with them growing with me,” he told UFC.com.
#UFCVegas55 Official Result: Junyong Park (29-28, 29-28) defeats by Eryk Anders (29-28) by Split Decision.
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More to go
Park has won his last three fights but is currently unranked at middleweight. He has six UFC wins to his name yet still regards himself as something of a beginner,
“I still consider myself an amateur fighter at the moment (because) I still feel I have lot more to go. I still feel like I haven’t shown my full potential with my skills.”
His opponent is a relative newcomer. Duraev bas won two fights out of three for the UFC since earning a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series.
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Winning streak
Given that he is on a three fight winning streak Park might have expected to be offered a shot at a ranked opponent. But it doesn’t sound like he is expecting an easy ride in Las Vegas this weekend,
“I feel like Duraev is a well-rounded UFC fighter. His striking, his ground, his wrestling, I have to watch out for all of it.”
Both men might be unranked but the fight has co-main event status. It will be the penultimate bout of the night at the Apex Centre and Park doesn’t sound particularly happy about this,
“I really hate being the co-main event. I like fighting really early and getting it over with,” he said.
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Competitive advantage
It is not because Park wants to shy away from the limelight. He simply feels that fighting earlier in the evening gives him a competitive advantage over opponents,
“I don’t cut much weight so I (like) having a shorter time period to gain weight back between the weigh-ins and the fight. I could fight an hour after weigh ins.”
Chan Sun Jung will be fighting for the final time at UFC Singapore. But there is still plenty of Korean talent on the roster and Park will have an opportunity this weekend to show that he is the natural successor to the most popular fighter his country has ever produced.
