Ji Yeon Kim

Ji Yeon Kim (born October 18, 1989) is a South Korean mixed martial artist (MMA). She was the Jewels[5] and Gladiator women's bantamweight champion.[6] She competes in the Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[1]

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.
For other people with the same name, see Kim Ji-yeon (disambiguation).
Ji Yeon Kim
BornKim Ji-yeon
(1989-10-18) October 18, 1989
Inchon, South Korea[1]
Other namesFire Fist
NationalitySouth Korean
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight56.7 kg (125 lb; 8 st 13 lb)
DivisionBantamweight (2013–2017)
Flyweight (2018–present)
Reach72[1] in (183 cm)
Fighting out ofLas Vegas, Nevada, United States[2]
TeamImpact Gym
MOB Training Center[3]
Syndicate MMA (2021–present)[2]
RankBrown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[4]
3rd degree black belt in Hapkido[1]
Black belt in Wushu[1]
Years active2013–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total16
Wins9
By knockout2
By submission3
By decision4
Losses5
By decision5
Draws2
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Korean name
Hangul
김지연 (金志妍）
Revised RomanizationGim Ji-yeon
McCune–ReischauerKim Chi-yŏn

Background

Kim was born and raised in Incheon, South Korea. She started training in the 8th grade after seeing a kickboxing match on television, which set off her desire for a career in combat sports.[1] She also wrestled in the junior middle school and high school in her native South Korea.[2]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Kim started her professional MMA career in 2013 and fought primarily in South Korea and Japan. Kim acquired a six-fight winning streak and became the Jewels[5] and Gladiator women's bantamweight champion prior to joining the UFC.[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kim made her UFC debut on June 17, 2017. Kim faced Lucie Pudilová at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia in Singapore.[7] She lost the fight via unanimous decision.[8]

Kim next faced Justine Kish on January 27, 2018, at UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson.[9] She won the fight via split decision.[10]

Her third fight came on June 23, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Edwards against Melinda Fábián.[11] She won the fight via split decision.[12]

Kim faced Antonina Shevchenko, replacing injured Ashlee Evans-Smith, on November 30, 2018 at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale.[13] At the weigh-ins, Kim weighed in at 130.5 pounds, 4.5 pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126. She was fined 20 percent of her purse, which went to her opponent Shevchenko. The bout proceeded at catchweight.[14] She lost the fight via unanimous decision.[15]

Kim faced Nadia Kassem on October 6, 2019 at UFC 243.[16] At the weigh-ins, Kim weighed in at 128 pounds, 2 pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126. Kim was fined 30% of her purse, which went to her opponent Kassem.[17] She won the fight via technical knockout in round two.[18]

Kim was scheduled to face Sabina Mazo on December 21, 2019 on UFC on ESPN+ 23.[19] However, on November 1, 2019, it was reported that Kim was forced to pull from the event due to undisclosed injury. [20]

Kim was scheduled to face Alexa Grasso on June 27, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker.[21] However, due to travel restrictions for both fighters due to COVID-19 pandemic, the bout was rescheduled on August 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 175.[22] She lost the fight via unanimous decision.[23]

Kim was scheduled to face Poliana Botelho on May 1, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 23.[24] However, Kim pulled out of the fight on March 22 citing injury and was replaced by Mayra Bueno Silva.[25]

Kim faced Molly McCann on September 4, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 191.[26] She lost the fight via unanimous decision.[27] The back-and-forth bout won both contestants the Fight of the Night bonus award.[28]

Kim was scheduled to face Poliana Botelho on January 22, 2022 at UFC 270,[29] but Botelho pulled out instead and the pairing was scrapped.[30][31]

Kim faced Priscila Cachoeira on February 26, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 202.[32] She lost the bout via controversial[33][34][35] unanimous decision.[36] 14 out of 15 media scored Kim as the winner of the fight.[37] Along with Cachoeira, Kim was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus award; her second overall.[38]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
16 matches 9 wins 5 losses
By knockout 2 0
By submission 3 0
By decision 4 5
Draws 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 9–5–2 Priscila Cachoeira Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green February 26, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 9–4–2 Molly McCann Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till September 4, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 9–3–2 Alexa Grasso Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić August 29, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–2–2 Nadia Kassem KO (punches to the body) UFC 243 October 6, 2019 2 4:59 Melbourne, Australia Catchweight (128 lb) bout; Kim missed weight.
Loss 8–2–2 Antonina Shevchenko Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale November 30, 2018 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (130.5 lb) bout; Kim missed weight.
Win 8–1–2 Melinda Fábián Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Edwards June 23, 2018 3 5:00 Kallang, Singapore
Win 7–1–2 Justine Kish Decision (split) UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson January 27, 2018 3 5:00 Charlotte, North Carolina, United States Flyweight debut.
Loss 6–1–2 Lucie Pudilová Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia June 17, 2017 3 5:00 Kallang, Singapore
Win 6–0–2 Tao Li Submission (rear-naked choke) Top FC 13 November 5, 2016 2 1:30 Seoul, South Korea
Win 5–0–2 Jin Tang Decision (unanimous) Kunlun Fight: Cage Fight Series 5 / Top FC 11 May 22, 2016 3 5:00 Seoul, South Korea Catchweight (131 lb) bout.
Win 4–0–2 Takayo Hashi Decision (unanimous) Deep Jewels 9 August 29, 2015 3 5;00 Tokyo, Japan Won the Jewels Women's Bantamweight Championship.
Win 3–0–2 Hatice Ozyurt Submission (armbar) Road FC 23 May 2, 2015 2 1:14 Seoul, South Korea Catchweight (138.2 lb) bout; Ozyurt missed weight.
Win 2–0–2 Miki Miyauchi TKO (knees and punches) Gladiator 81 March 1, 2015 2 0:18 Tokyo, Japan Won the Gladiator Women’s Bantamweight Championship.
Win 1–0–2 Yukimi Kamikaze Submission (rear-naked choke) Road FC 18 August 30, 2014 1 1:57 Seoul, South Korea Catchweight (132 lb) bout.
Draw 0–0–2 Takayo Hashi Draw (unanimous) Road FC: Korea vs. Japan March 9, 2014 2 5:00 Seoul, South Korea
Draw 0–0–1 Shizuka Sugiyama Draw (Majority) Deep: Cage Impact 2013 November 24, 2013 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan Bantamweight debut.

[39]

See also

References
  1. "Ji Yeon Kim | UFC". UFC.com. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  2. John Hyon Ko (August 17, 2021). Ji Yeon Kim talks Molly McCann matchup, says bare-knuckle boxing likely in the future – via YouTube.
  3. "Ji Yeon Kim ("Fire Fist") | MMA Fighter Page | Tapology". Tapology. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  4. @champyoni (February 19, 2020). "팔꿈치 재활하면서 가볍게 운동 시작!!! 압박을 이겨내지 못하면 아무것도 얻을 수 없다" (in Korean). Retrieved March 6, 2022 – via Instagram.
  5. "Mizuki Inoue, Ji Yeon Kim Win Title Bouts At Deep Jewels 9". Women's MMA Today. 2015-08-29. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  6. "Women's MMA Report: Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg retain titles in a combined 60 seconds". MMAjunkie. 2015-03-06. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  7. King, John (2017-05-30). "Lucie Pudilova vs. Ji Yeon Kim official for UFC Singapore - The Sprawl MMA". The Sprawl MMA. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  8. "UFC Fight Night 111 results: Lucie Pudilova edges Ji Yeon Kim in curtain-jerker". MMAjunkie. 2017-06-17. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  9. "Kim Ji-yeon to face Justine Kish at UFC on FOX 27 | The Fight Nation". The Fight Nation. 2017-12-14. Archived from the original on 2018-07-13. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  10. "UFC on FOX 27 results: Ji Yeon Kim takes split decision from stunned Justine Kish". MMAjunkie. 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  11. DNA, MMA (2018-05-28). "Women's Flyweight gevecht tussen Melinda Fabian en Ji Yeon Kim tijdens UFC Singapore". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  12. "UFC Fight Night 132 results: Ji Yeon Kim's power wins split-call over tactical Melinda Fabian". MMAjunkie. 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  13. Marc Raimondi (2018-11-08). "Antonina Shevchenko gets new opponent at TUF 28 Finale with Ashlee Evans-Smith out". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  14. "TUF 28 Finale weigh-in results: Dos Anjos vs. Usman set, but two miss". MMAjunkie. 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  15. "TUF 28 Finale results: Antonina Shevchenko picks apart Ji Yeon Kim in UFC debut". MMAjunkie. 2018-12-01. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  16. DNA, MMA (23 July 2019). "Tuivasa vs. Spivak en Kassem vs. Kim toegevoegd aan UFC 243 in Melbourne" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  17. "UFC 243 weigh-in results: Two miss weight, but Whittaker vs. Adesanya official". MMA Junkie. 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  18. Anderson, Jay (2019-10-05). "UFC 243 Results: Ji Yeon Kim's Pressure Overwhelms Nadia Kassem". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  19. ATSteveDuncan (2019-10-17). "Sabina Mazo vs. Kim Ji-Yeon agregado a UFC Busan". MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  20. "Report: Ji Yeon Kim Off UFC Fight Night Busan | Fightful MMA". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  21. Farah Hannoun (2020-03-13). "Alexa Grasso moves up to flyweight, faces Ji Yeon Kim at UFC Austin". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  22. Staff (2020-06-13). "Ji Yeon Kim and Alexa Grasso re-booked for the August 29 event". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-06-15. (in Dutch)
  23. Anderson, Jay (2020-08-29). "UFC Vegas 8 Results: Alexa Grasso Successful in Move to Flyweight, Beats Ji Yeon Kim". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  24. DNA, MMA (2021-02-10). "Poliana Botelho treft Ji Yeon Kim tijdens UFC evenement op 1 mei". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  25. DNA, MMA (2021-03-22). "Poliana Botelho meets Mayra Bueno Silva on May 1". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  26. DNA, MMA (2021-05-17). "Molly McCann treft Ji Yeon Kim op 14 augustus". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  27. Evanoff, Josh (2021-09-04). "UFC Vegas 36 Results: Molly McCann Defeats Ji Yeon Kim in Slugfest". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  28. "UFC Fight Night 191 bonuses: Tom Aspinall's first-round finish, Paddy Pimblett's debut TKO among extra $50k earners". MMA Junkie. 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  29. DNA, MMA (2021-10-02). "Ji Yeon Kim vs. Poliana Botelho toegevoegd aan UFC 270 op 22 januari". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-10-03.
  30. Staff (2021-11-26). "Ji Yeon Kim faces Poliana Botelho at UFC 270". asianmma.com. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  31. Farah Hannoun and Nolan King (2022-01-12). "Ji Yeon Kim faces Poliana Botelho at UFC 270". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  32. "Controversiële Cachoeira krijgt nieuwe kans van de UFC". Eurosport (in Dutch). 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  33. "UFC Vegas 49 - Ji Yeon Kim vs Priscilla Cachoeira: Judges slammed for robbery". Media Referee. 2022-02-27. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  34. Datta, Soumik. ""It's scientifically proven that they are a dumbass" - Dan Hooker says judges should be asked to explain their scoring in light of Priscila Cachoeira vs. Ji Yeon Kim decision". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  35. "Ji Yeon Kim robbed of victory by UFC Vegas 49 judges". Asian MMA. 2022-02-27. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  36. Anderson, Jay (2022-02-26). "UFC Vegas 49: Priscila Cachoeira Employs Elbows to Secure Comeback Against Ji Yeon Kim". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  37. "Priscila Cachoeira def.Ji Yeon Kim UFC on ESPN+ 60 MMA Decisions". www.mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  38. Marrocco, Steven (2022-02-26). "UFC Vegas 49 post-fight bonuses: Priscila Cachoeira vs. Ji Yeon Kim wins 'Fight of the Night'". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  39. Sherdog.com. "Ji Yeon". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
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