Yoon Hyung-bin is back in the MMA cage: 'I want to grit my teeth'

작성일 06-26

<div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/06/26/0000072489_001_20250626070219974.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Yoon Hyung-bin, comedian turned MMA fighter, lifts his fists in a gym in Mapo District, western Seoul. [KIM SEONG-RYONG] </em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> With a broken tooth and a “hell schedule” of daily training, comedian Yoon Hyung-bin is stepping back into the MMA cage &#8212; not for laughs, but for legacy.  <br>    <br> “Losing 5 to 6 kilograms [11 to 13.2 pounds] was no big deal 10 years ago, but now that I’m in my 40s, it’s tough to drop weight through exercise,” said comedian-turned-MMA fighter Yoon, 45, reflecting on his return to the ring.  <br><br>Yoon will face off against YouTuber and MMA fighter Jung Man-soo, 35, better known by his channel name, Banzz, at Road FC, an MMA tournament taking place at Jangchung Arena on Saturday. Jung, who has 2.04 million subscribers, is a former elite athlete who competed as a 90-kilogram judo representative for Daejeon until his third year of middle school.  <br>    <br> Debuting as a comedian in 2005, Yoon rose to fame for portraying the character Wang Bi-ho in the “Bongsunga School” segment of the comedy show “Gag Concert” (1999-).  <br>    <br> Yoon and Jung agreed to fight at a catchweight of 79 kilograms. Weighing more than 90 kilograms normally, Yoon has been cutting more than 11 kilograms in the past three months while training.  <br>    <br> With more than a decade of experience in MMA, Yoon is no stranger to fight preparations. He first stepped into the cage in 2014 at the height of his comedy career, securing a TKO victory against Japan’s Takaya Tsukuda in his professional MMA debut.  <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/06/26/0000072489_002_20250626070220322.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Yoon Hyung-bin, comedian turned MMA fighter, lifts his fists in a gym in Mapo District, western Seoul. [KIM SEONG-RYONG] </em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> “I’m treating this as my final MMA challenge,” said Yoon in a recent interview at a gym in Mapo District, western Seoul. “I’ve set a hellish schedule &#8212; jogging in the morning, training with a high school wrestling team in the afternoon and striking practice at an MMA gym in the evening.”  <br>    <br> “In the past, my wife and friends tried to stop me from fighting, but now they cheer me on. It seems like being a fighter has become part of my persona,” he continued. “My father, a former taekwondo athlete who taught me boxing and <i>ssireum</i> [Korean wrestling] as a kid, even asked if he could join the match.”  <br>    <br> Some critics have dismissed the bout as a “fight circus” or a “staged show” due to his opponent’s background as a YouTuber.  <br>    <br> Yoon countered, “Who cuts 10 kilograms just to put on a fake fight? Who willingly takes punches for show? I even broke a front tooth during training &#8212; doesn’t that prove how serious I am?”  <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/06/26/0000072489_003_20250626070220566.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Yoon Hyung-bin, comedian turned MMA fighter, holds up a broken tooth. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> Yoon referenced the Paul brothers &#8212; Logan, 30, and Jake, 28, &#8212; to make the point that “Even global fight stars started out by facing YouTubers.”  <br>    <br> The Paul brothers began their combat sports careers in 2018 with boxing matches against fellow YouTubers. They gained fame by participating in boxing, MMA and WWE matches.  <br>    <br> Logan fought undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., 48, in an exhibition match in 2021, while Jake beat Mike Tyson, 59, by decision in a boxing bout in 2024. Logan now has 23.6 million YouTube subscribers, and Jake has 20.9 million.  <br>    <br> Last month, Yoon also debuted as a professional wrestler through a PWS event, a domestic wrestling promotion. He fought legendary wrestler Yoshihiro Tajiri, 55, a 20-time champion, and won via disqualification.   <br>    <br> <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom">  <div class="image">   <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/06/26/0000072489_004_20250626070220695.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Yoon Hyung-bin, comedian turned MMA fighter, poses for cameras in a gym in Mapo District, western Seoul. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]</em></span>   <span class="mask"></span>  </div>  </div>    <br> Still, the Paul brothers are in their prime. Why does Yoon, now in his mid-40s, refuse to step away from the ring?   <br>    <br> “I have a pale face and wear glasses. I look like your average neighborhood guy &#8212; someone you’d see anywhere,” Yoon said. “I don’t have a naturally muscular body. But I want to grit my teeth, fight and win to inspire all the ordinary people out there.”  <br>    <br> “Fighting, like comedy, requires showmanship and entertainment to attract fans. I’m currently the president of the KBS Comedians’ Association, and I’ve posted a flyer in our office to recruit a cheering squad. After I win, I want to shout with my colleagues: ‘Don’t underestimate your neighborhood guy,’” Yoon said.  <br><br><i>Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.</i>

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Yoon Hyung-bin is back in the MMA cage: 'I want to grit my teeth'

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