In 2019 we saw M-1 Challenge 103 take place in Shenzhen. The Russian promotion will be returning to this continent with another event in February.
M-1 Challenge 106 is set for the Suwon Convention Centre on February 1st. It will be the promotion’s fourth event in South Korea and is set for a venue which has been open less than a year.
The promotion announced the event with a Facebook video:
https://www.facebook.com/m1globalnews/videos/2800346380004957/
The promotion’s first foray into South Korea came in 2008 with M-1 Challenge 6 in Seoul. That event featured Hyun Gyu Lim, Jake Ellenberger and Stefan Struve who would all go on to sign for the UFC.
The following year M-1 Challenge 17 in the same city featured Yui Chul Nam and Hae Jun Yang. In 2010 Doo Ho Choi was on the card at M-1 Selection in Seoul with a card consisting exclusively of local fighters.
This will be the promotion’s first event in South Korea for a decade but there have been a couple of events in China. M-1 Challenge 54 took place in Beijing in 2014 and three years later M-1 Challenge 80 headed to Harbin.
The most recent event in Asia was M-1 Challenge 103 which saw Chris Kelades beat Alexander Pletenko in a rematch to become the interim 125lbs champion. The Canadian would go on to lose the title a couple of months later.
The event in Shenzhen featured four Chinese fighters and M-1 Challenge 106 looks set to provide some similar opportunities for South Korean fighters. Suwon is about 30 kms south of Seoul and is the hometown of UFC veteran Dong Hyun Kim.
