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Funnyman Yoon to make MMA debut

October 8, 2013

By Baek Byung-yeul

Yoon Hyung-bin

This is not a joke: Funnyman Yoon Hyung-bin is serious about giving combat sports a try and plans to debut as a fighter with Road Fighting Championship (Road FC), Korea’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, by the end of this year or early next year.

The scrawny 33-year-old hardly looks intimidating, but he is confident that he won’t embarrass himself in the cage. An avid fight fan, Yoon has been training independently in MMA skills since 2009.

“I have great respect for the sport of MMA. The fights are great and you admire the fighters even more if you see how they prepare for the fights. I decided that I would try MMA seriously two years ago and now I am comfortable about making the announcement,’’ Yoon said in a news conference Tuesday.

“I have prepared for years with the help of Jung Mun-hong (Road FC president) and Road FC fighter Seo Doo-won.”

Kwon Jeong-um, Road FC’s assistant manager, said the promotion is planning to pit Yoon against a Japanese fighter for his debut, although he didn’t unveil the name of the fighter.

“It would be fair to pit Yoon against a rookie fighter or a less-experienced professional,” he said.

“At 1.81 meters tall and weighing 75 kilograms, Yoon probably will have to fight in the middleweights. Welterweight could be another option depending on what we see after the real training and preparation starts.”

Yoon is following the footsteps of Lee Seung-yoon, another television funnyman who fought in a Road FC match in 2010. Lee was underwhelming and is now a part-time television analyst for MMA.

Yoon debuted as a comedian through KBS television in 2005 and gained huge popularity for his snarky “Wang Bi Ho”character on the sketchy comedy show “Gag Concert.” He married comedian Jung Kyung-mi in February.