Hong Seong-chan (34, Korean Top Team), a fighter belonging to the prestigious Korean mixed martial arts team ‘Korean Top Team,’ has a special love for pizza. To the extent that his SNS ID is ‘ktt_pizza’, he can’t live without pizza. He even openly writes ‘Pizza lover’ in the introduction section.

Pizza, a calorie bomb, is a ‘temptation from hell’ for a mixed martial artist. It is the biggest enemy of weight loss. It is basic that if you eat one plate, you will gain 2~3kg the next day. Hong Seong-chan also decided to say goodbye to his beloved pizza for a while. This is because the biggest opportunity of his entire mixed martial arts career has come.

Hong Sung-chan will participate in Season 2 of ‘Road to UFC’ held in Shanghai, China on the 27th and 28th of this month. Road to UFC is an event designed to give Asia’s top mixed martial arts fighters the opportunity to sign with the UFC. Eight fighters from each of the four weight classes, flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight, will participate. If you compete in a tournament style and win the final championship, you will sign an official contract with the UFC. In Season 1, which ran from June last year to February this year, flyweight Park Hyeon-seong and featherweight Lee Jung-young won the championship and signed with the UFC.

Participating in the season 2 lightweight (under 70kg) tournament, Sungchan Hong will play China’s Longzhu in the quarterfinals. Longzhu is never an easy opponent. He already has experience debuting in the UFC. He was ejected after playing 3 matches and recording 1 win and 2 losses. This is my second challenge in the UFC.

Hong Seong-chan’s career as a player was not smooth. Born in 1989. We are already 35 years old. He has already reached his 60th birthday as an athlete. There was a situation. He liked the UFC on TV so much that he ran to the gym after being discharged from the military. After he made his pro debut in 2012, he played frantically. His domestic as well as overseas stages such as the Philippines, Guam, and the United Arab Emirates have also been wrinkled. From his debut until 2017 he played 9 matches and lost only 1 time. He won 6 times, 2 of which resulted in an invalid match.

Hong Seong-chan left mixed martial arts after the TFC match in 2017. Looking at the age of 30, he bumped into a wall of reality. As a player스포츠토토, he only looked forward and ran hard, but his life did not improve. Recurring injuries, including his knee, also dampened his motivation.

“I was very worried at the time. I wanted to keep working out, but it wasn’t easy. When I got injured, I couldn’t do other side jobs, so life was difficult. So, after thinking about it, I decided to quit exercising.”

So, I started a pizza restaurant. I guess I really liked pizza. Hong Seong-chan diligently made pizza in his kitchen. He knew that if he worked as hard as he did when he was a player, he would do well. Nothing in the world was easy. He was decisively hit by Corona 19. Many small business owners have suffered. It was the same with Hong Seong-chan. He had to leave the tears behind and close the pizzeria that was like a child.

started exercising again. She was not forced to come back. While preparing for the gym with a hyung I know, I naturally felt the urge to exercise again. He returned to the Korean top team, which is like his hometown.

Hong Seong-chan, who made a comeback as a cage after 4 years in 2021, became stronger. After his comeback, he sprinted on a three-game winning streak. His skills did not rust. After getting a taste of his harsh society, his mentality has matured. Winning in sports brings other opportunities. The UFC opportunity lay before him. He had no reason to refuse.

“After working out for a long time, I thought that a good opportunity like this would come. I think that the opponent has UFC experience and is not formidable. I’m never the one who will be vigilant and do it. I think he will have to prepare firmly.”

But he is not without confidence. Rather, his will pierces the sky. Hong Seong-chan said, “The goal is to win unconditionally. I want to win and get a contract,” he said. He will show the fans that he is a player who plays a fun game.”

At the end of the interview, Hong Seong-chan cautiously opened his mouth to the writer again. He let the real wind out. he said.

“When I succeed in the UFC and make a lot of money, I want to open a pizza shop again. So, this Road to UFC is a more desperate and precious opportunity for me.”