From Near Defeat to Submission: Song Young-jae’s Dramatic UFC Comeback

Translation result

[MyDaily = Reporter Shim Jae-hee] Song Young-jae, the 30-year-old protégé of \”Stun Gun\” Kim Dong-hyun, passed the first test on his road to the UFC with a dramatic comeback in a Korea-Japan showdown. After a rough start, Song seized a late opening and finished the fight by submission.

Song Young-jae (10–1–1) competed in the featherweight tournament at ROAD TO UFC Season 5 Opening Round: Day 2 on May 28 at Macau’s Galaxy Arena. He defeated Japan’s Jin Aoi (29) in the quarterfinals, giving Korea the win in the head-to-head matchup.

Song fell behind in the opening round. Aoi landed a right overhand hook that visibly rocked him and followed up with a takedown, leaving Song on the back foot for much of the stanza. The pair grappled along the cage, and Song was warned twice for grabbing the fence. The judges awarded the round to Aoi, 10–9.

He still trailed early in the second, losing a point for a knee to a grounded opponent. But late in the round, after staving off a takedown, Song locked in a rear-naked choke on the ground and forced the tap at 3:39 of round two to secure the submission victory.

After the fight, Song praised his opponent’s composure and admitted the powerful hook had put him in trouble. He said the outing exposed areas he needs to improve—grappling IQ, conditioning and fight grit—and that he learned from the early setback. Song apologized for grabbing the cage and for throwing a ground knee in the heat of the moment, and vowed to take the tournament title. He will face Mongolia’s Chagnaadorj Dagisuren in the semifinals.

Also in the featherweight bracket, \”Titan\” Im Kwan-woo (24) was eliminated in the quarterfinals, falling to Aherzhang Airinu’er (27, China). Im struggled after surrendering six takedowns and lost by unanimous decision (27–30, 27–30–27, 27–30), ending his run before the semifinals.

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