Bloodsport in Busan: Road FC MMA Event

MMA is making it to Korea in a big way.  It’s making it’s way to Busan too.  If you follow the sport, you’ve likely heard of Kim Dong Hyun, the “Stun Gun”.  He’s one of the top UFC fighters in the welterweight division.  He trains out of Busan Team MAD.  There are many organizations around the world and Road FC (Fighting Championships) is another to add to the mix.

It’s how I roll

Jade in the middle.  Watch out Rhonda

This past weekend there was a large Road FC event held at the BEXCO Convention Center in Busan, South Korea.  I had a ticket and spent the day with the entire Team MAD organization.  This includes our very own future women’s MMA champion, Jade Anderson.  Who is she?  Well, you don’t know now, but stay tuned.  She’s training with the pros at Team MAD and will be a force in the women’s division very soon.  A deadly English teacher from America, her students better stay in line!

Jeff Monson

The biggest name of the event was Jeff Monson, the “Snowman”.  He one of the top MMA heavyweights and arguably the best nogi submission grappler in the world.  Coming off a gold medal win at this year’s FILA championships (Federation Internationale des Luttes Associees – International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles) he participated in this MMA event before heading back home to Florida.  This was his third gold medal at FILA.  

He’s won gold at ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) twice, as well as two silvers and a bronze.  A member of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, he is undoubtedly one of the best combat athletes out there.  I was at American Top Team for a year and had the opportunity on a few occasions to work with him.  Well, here he was, on the other side of the planet and it made me miss home for a moment seeing him during his entrance.  He ended up winning by decision.  Not the most climactic ending, but a win is a win.

The venue – BEXCO

There were a lot of great fights, and some…duds.  But that’s to be expected.  Some great highlights and some bloody moments.  Really bloody.  Yikes!  It was great to see the fighters live.  It’s a totally different experience than watching it on tv.  It felt like I was watching them in a training session at a regular workout, only they were actually trying to beat the other one down.  

The crowd gets calm during the fights.  No crazy shouting or jumping around that you might think if you’ve seen the crowd shots on a UFC event.  I tried as much as possible to watch the live action and not the monitor, but it was hard.  I just seemed to gravitate towards the big screen.  Maybe I just like the front row feel of the cameras in the ring.


As MMA continues to grow around the world, I expect it to get more prominent here in Busan as well.  With Japan right next door, MMA should have a bright future.  Hopefully I can catch some of the action along the way.

Oss!