International bout against DEEP's active champion Fukuda

Unification title fight against Kim Hyun-woo also awaits

Kim Su-cheol (right) and Fukuda Ryuya face off at the Rizin 55 event. (Road FC)
Kim Su-cheol (right) and Fukuda Ryuya face off at the Rizin 55 event. (Road FC)

Road FC bantamweight champion Kim Su-cheol, 35, will compete in Japan's Rizin promotion.

Kim will face DEEP bantamweight champion Fukuda Ryuya, 34, of Japan in a bantamweight bout at the Rizin 55 event on Nov. 8 at LaLa Arena Tokyo-Bay in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Known as Road FC's most prolific fighter, Kim is a veteran who has long held top positions on both domestic and international stages. He has previously held the Rizin ON featherweight title, the ONE Championship bantamweight title in Singapore and the Road FC featherweight title.

Kim has competed consistently in Rizin, widely regarded as a major global promotion, since 2015 and fought for the bantamweight title there in 2024.

Fukuda, his upcoming opponent, made his debut in 2011 and has since built a record of 26 wins, 10 losses and one draw over 37 fights. Striking is his strength, with 13 of his 26 career wins coming by knockout.

Fukuda's résumé rivals Kim's in its own right. The current DEEP bantamweight champion held the Shooto title in 2020 and fought for the Rizin bantamweight title last year.

Through Road FC's event organizers, Kim offered a brief statement of resolve, saying, "I will prepare hard and show a good performance."

Meanwhile, Kim is set to fight interim champion Kim Hyun-woo for the Road FC bantamweight unification title as early as the beginning of next year. Kim Hyun-woo earned the right to the unification bout after defeating Yang Ji-yong last month to claim the interim title at Road FC 078.


yjc@heraldcorp.com