Choi Mu-Gyeom came into the main event of Road FC 50 as the longest-reigning champion the promotion has ever seen but Lee Jeong-Yeong stole the show to send his opponent into retirement on a sour note. After three rounds of technical striking from both, Lee obtained the unanimous nod from the judges to become the new featherweight champion.
The fight started off slow and the feeling out process lasted four minutes with Lee attacking and Choi trying to counter and utilize his jab. The remaining 30 seconds of the first round was hellfire with fists flying from all angles. These exchanges sent the crowd into a frenzy with the champion bearing the brunt of the damage
As the second round commenced, both men displayed noticeable bruising under their right eyes. But Choi’s situation would worsen as the fight moved along. In the second round Lee took the center of the cage and went back to his game plan of pressing the action.
They exchanged jabs constantly until the challenger connected with a right hand. About halfway through the round, Lee blasted forward and slammed combos into Choi’s face, which was already a bloody mess.
While Lee took his time and picked his shots, Choi was wobbly but showed grit by standing firm until the bell. In the final round the champion displayed urgency from the get-go but had no answers for his opponent’s barrages. Ahead on the scorecards, Lee played it safe and connected with crisp punches from a distance.
In the final flurry, Choi fell and Lee rushed in with some ground and pound to finish the fight strong. After three rounds of punishment on the feet Choi had numerous lacerations all over his face and looked like something from a horror film. As the fighters stood waiting for the final decision to be read, there was no doubt that a new champion would be crowned.
The 22-year-old Lee improves to 6-1 and has progressed rapidly in recent years. Starting as a teenager in the organization’s amateur league before building himself up through the Young Guns circuit, he was determined to be the next title-holder. Choi slips to 8-5, losing his title in the final fight of his career.
The co-main event had JMMA legend Fujita ‘Iron Head’ Kazuyuki turning back the clock and destroying Choi Mu-Bae in the first round. The Japanese warhorse seemed rejuvenated from the start, initiating most of the exchanges and marching forward without any worries.
The bout began with a few collisions then Fujita connected with an overhand right that stunned Choi and had him looking to clinch. Immediately thereafter, Fujita slammed a short left hook square on the chin and Choi (13-8) dropped like a stack of books. ‘Iron Head’ jumped all over his adversary and finished him off with some powerful punches.
Both fighters entered the cage at the ripe young age of 48 yet Fujita (18-14) demonstrated that he was the one who had a lot left in the tank. During his post-fight interview in the cage,Fujita declared, “Even though we are old, we still come out to fight.”
ROAD FC 50, Daejeon, November 3, 2018
Lee Jeong-Yeong def. Choi Mu-Gyeom by Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of R3
Fujita Kazuyuki def. Choi Mu-Bae by TKO (Punches) at 1:55 of R1
Hong Young-Ki def. Nakamura Koji by Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of R3
Yoo Jae-Nam def. Han Yi-Moon by Submission (Modified Guillotine) at 4:51 of R2
Shim Yu-Ri def. Lim So-Hee by Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of R3
Shim Gun-Oh def. Heo Jae-Hyeok by TKO (Punches) at 0:23 of R1
Lim Dong-Hwan def. Park Jung-Gyo by Submission (Guillotine) at 2:48 of R1
Ito Yuki def. Kim Tae-Gyun by TKO (Punches) at 4:58, R1
Park Chan-Soo def. Kim Yong-Geun by Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of R3
Kim Sung-Jae def. Hwang Chang-Hwan by TKO (Punches) at 2:41, R1
Go Gi-Won def. Kim Young-Han by KO (Punch) at 0:22, R2
Kim Woo-Jae def. Jeong Won-Hee by Decision (Split) at 5:00 of R3
