Fighter with 8-7 record hangs up gloves to focus on day job; Park Min-su also announces transition to coaching
Shin Dong-guk (45), the "firefighter fighter" of Road FC Chungju, is stepping away from the cage.
Shin made the official announcement Saturday at Road FC 078, held at Jangchung Arena in Seoul, saying the event would be his last as a professional fighter.
Born in 1981, Shin accepted a callout from Park Hyun-bin, born in 2002, for the bout. The two traded heavy strikes from the opening round in an all-out brawl, with Shin winning by TKO.
After the fight, Shin reflected calmly on the moment. "This was my 15th fight, and I was just as nervous and shaky as I was for my debut," he said. "I don't think Hyun-bin lost because he was less skilled than me — I just think the heavens tilted a little in my favor today, and that's why things turned out well."
He then announced his retirement. "This year marks 10 years since I first stepped into the cage. Regardless of how this fight went, I had already made up my mind to leave this place I love and return to being a firefighter — working for the safety of my son, my country and its people. I will focus entirely on that work from now on. I am sincerely grateful to everyone who has watched and cheered me on."
Shin is a former Army Special Forces soldier and an active-duty firefighter who began a parallel career as a professional fighter through Road FC in 2017. He won the 2009 Firefighter King Selection Contest and earned a wide following for his aggressive striking style inside the cage. He finishes his career with an 8-7 record, with every win coming by KO or TKO.
Park Min-su (35) of Road FC Yeongju also announced his retirement Saturday. After losing by decision to junior fighter Choi Young-chan at the same event, Park posted a retirement statement on social media.
"With this fight, my MMA career comes to a close at 4 wins and 2 losses," Park wrote. "I was never a standout fighter, never anything special. But I was sincere in every moment, and I gave everything I had until the very end. It ended in defeat, but I have no regrets. My time as a fighter ends here."
Park also signaled a full transition to coaching. "From now on, I will pour my energy into producing fighters who are stronger and more impressive than I ever was, at the gym I run," he wrote. "I will become a good coach so that my students can achieve everything I could not."
yjc@heraldcorp.com
