Fun, yes, and also appropriate. Park is an absolute tank of a human being. Of the four losses he’s suffered as a pro dating back to 2013, none of them have come at the end of his opponent’s fists. His 12 wins paint a picture of a fighter who can end a fight in any way he needs to.
After stumbling out of the gates in his 2019 UFC debut, Park has strung together two consecutive wins over Marc-Andre Barriault and John Phillips, both on cards that featured his countryman Chan Sung Jung as the headliner. The atmospheres couldn’t have been more different, though. The first UFC victory came in front of a roaring sold-out home crowd in Busan, South Korea. The second in the much quieter, fan-free confines of UFC Fight Island last October.
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“I was so grateful for the fans at home cheering me on during the John Philips fight. I was also grateful to the UFC for putting on fights during the pandemic and I hope they come back to Korea soon. I definitely miss the cheering fans but it’s nice to be able to hear my corner clearly,” he laughs.
For his first visit to the United States, Park will have to forego the crowd at least once more when he goes to war at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. But being able to hear your coaches against an undefeated knockout artist like Nchukwi can only be a good thing.