Relentless and hard-charging, Park Bo-hyun eyes history as South Korea's fourth female UFC fighter

Park Bo-hyun (right) and China's Meng Bo touch heads and smile after both secured their spots in the Road to UFC Season 5 women's strawweight final on Aug. 28. [UFC]
Park Bo-hyun (right) and China's Meng Bo touch heads and smile after both secured their spots in the Road to UFC Season 5 women's strawweight final on Aug. 28. [UFC]

The final matchups for Road to UFC (RTU) Season 5 — where a UFC contract is on the line — have been set. South Korea's "Rush" Park Bo-hyun (27) will face Meng Bo (30, China) for a spot in the UFC.

The UFC held the RTU Season 5 semifinal event "Road to UFC Season 5 Semifinals: Makhsatsher vs. Flowers" at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China, on Aug. 28 (Korean Standard Time). RTU is a tournament that gives Asia-Pacific prospects a path to the UFC. The eight finalists across four weight classes determined that day will compete in the finals at a future UFC Fight Night event.

In the women's strawweight division (52.2 kg), Park Bo-hyun (10 wins, 3 losses) was the first to advance to the final. Park opened the card with a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over Farida Abduyeva (22, Kyrgyzstan). She opened a cut on Abduyeva's forehead with a powerful elbow and scored a knockdown with a left hook, cruising to a dominant win. Overseas bookmakers had given Park roughly a 20 percent chance of winning before the fight, but she defied expectations again to reach the final.

From the opposite side of the bracket came China's Meng Bo (24 wins, 8 losses). A veteran who turned professional in 2013, Meng notably defeated former UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili in both fighters' professional debuts. In the semifinal, she edged out Fukuda Machi (23, Japan) in a hard-fought grappling battle, winning by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) to advance.

After Meng's bout, the two finalists faced off at the center of the octagon. The fighters bumped fists and embraced before playfully pressing their foreheads together in a spirited staredown. Both told each other to "watch out" and pledged to put on a good showing.

Should Park win, she would become South Korea's fourth female UFC fighter in nearly a decade, following Ham Seo-hee, Kim Ji-yeon and Jeon Chan-mi. She would also become the 26th South Korean UFC fighter overall, roughly two years after Yoo Ju-sang. Within RTU, she would be the sixth South Korean champion — and the first in a women's division — following Park Hyun-sung (Season 1 flyweight), Lee Jung-young (Season 1 featherweight), Lee Chang-ho (Season 2 bantamweight), Choi Dong-hoon (Season 3 flyweight) and Yoo Su-young (Season 3 bantamweight).

Park Bo-hyun celebrates after defeating Farida Abduyeva by unanimous decision in the RTU Season 5 women's strawweight semifinal. [UFC]
Park Bo-hyun celebrates after defeating Farida Abduyeva by unanimous decision in the RTU Season 5 women's strawweight semifinal. [UFC]

In the flyweight division (56.7 kg), Zhi Niusuye (25, China) will meet Suzuki Takaya (22, Japan) in the final. The bantamweight (61.2 kg) final will pit Rabindra Dant (27, Nepal) against Tajima Ryo (27, Japan). In the featherweight (65.8 kg) final, George Mangos (23, Australia) will take on Chagnaadorj Dagiisuuren (26, Mongolia).

Kevin Chang, UFC executive vice president and general manager for Asia, said the tournament had exceeded expectations across the board — from the fighters' performances to broadcast numbers, social media engagement and press coverage. "RTU has now established itself as a cornerstone of the UFC ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific region," he said. "We can't wait to watch the finals featuring the fighters who have delivered such thrilling action, and to welcome four new fighters into the UFC."

To date, 22 fighters have reached the UFC through RTU, meaningfully increasing the organization's Asia-Pacific representation. RTU alumni have collectively earned 12 Performance of the Night bonuses in the UFC.


yjc@heraldcorp.com