Annihilation had its first-ever event in Seoul and it went off without a hitch. Kim Doo-Hwan came back from after almost being choked out to pummel Andrei Lenzhen while Hong Jun-Young cruised to a decision over Lim Byung-Hee to top off the show.
There was a short feeling out period at the start of main event clash. Each fighter was landing sparsely with single punches and kicks until Lenzhen executed a trip takedown and immediately took the back.
Kim was able to stand up but Lenzhen kept the body lock and dragged him back to the mat. After scrambling a little, the Russian was able to slide in both hooks.
A close contest
Kim stayed calm while dodging submission attempts and then reversed position when the timing was optimal. Unfortunately, he took so long trying for an arm-triangle that the referee stood them up after a limited amount of action.
The middle period kicked off almost identically to the first with Lenzhen getting the trip takedown and securing the back. Again, Kim defended well and was able to land in top position.
The South Korean slowly moved to more advantageous spots amidst lightly pounding his opponent’s face. Halfway through the round, Lenzhen gave up his back and received some punishment for the mistake.
During a rear-naked choke attempt by Kim, Lenzhen gave him a taste of his own medicine by spinning and landing on top. With an opportunity to steal the round, Lenzhen failed miserably and opted to take a breather while Kim just held on.
Going into the third round, the scorecards looked ambiguous.
A late finish
This seemed apparent in the mind of Kim since he initiated the takedown instantly against the ropes. Due to the laziness of the attempt, Lenzhen locked on a guillotine and dropped to his back.
He squeezed for his life yet no tap came. Kim posted his legs and made the small adjustments to bide his time eventually slipping out the submission.
Once on top, the Korean smashing machine launched a barrage of punches and elbows that ended the contest.
Kim (12-5) extends his streak to three over adversaries from all different parts of the globe. At 30 years old, he seems to be hitting his prime and looking to make a run at getting signed to a major promotion. With many light heavyweight divisions being sparse in talent, another impressive victory could do the trick.
Lenzhen (9-3), on the other hand, snaps his five-fight run and goes back to the drawing board.
Best of the rest
In the co-main event, Zombie MMA’s Hong Jun-Young (9-5) played a smart game against dangerous striker Lim Byung-Hee (3-4) and that led to a majority decision on the scorecards.
In other action, Park Jin-Woo (1-1) picked up his first professional win by choking out Oh Tae-Seok (0-2) in the second round and Park Jong-Heon (3-1) got back in the win column with an exciting TKO finish over TFC veteran Kim Sung-Hyun (3-4).
The next Annihilation event is planned for April yet nothing is set in stone.
Annihilation, Seoul, January 19th
Boxing: Lee Jung-Kyoung def. Samuel Colomban Kaldjob via KO (For OPBF Super Welterweight Title)
Kim Doo-Hwan def. Andrei Lenzhen via TKO (Punches) at 2:12 of Round 3
Hong Jun-Young def. Lim Byung-Hee via Decision (Majority) at 5:00 of Round 3
Boxing: Lee Huk-San def. Bae Jae-Deok via KO
Park Jin-Woo def. Oh Tae-Seok via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:24 of Round 2
Boxing: Geum Dong-Ho def. Park Jun-Young via Decision (Unanimous)
Park Jong-Heon def. Kim Sung-Hyun via TKO (Elbows) at 4:28 of Round 3
Boxing: Yoon Won-Sik def. Kim Ki-Tae via Decision (Unanimous)
Kim Min-Woo def. Lee Taek-Joon via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of Round 3
