South Korean sensation Dae Hwan Kim returns to the ONE Championship cage after a two-year absence, with revenge on his mind and a world title in his sights.
The 30-year-old, nicknamed “Ottogi”, returns to ONE Championship on 24 November, and will face Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Leandro Issa (14-6) at ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Kim (12-1-1) last appeared in the ONE cage back in October 2015, where he scored a rear-naked choke victory over Teng Li Ge. But after that win, he turned his attention to his coaching, including investing in his girlfriend’s martial arts training. It meant his own career took a back seat.
After their relationship soured earlier this year, Kim reassessed his priorities, and focused on his personal goals.
“Now,” he says, “I am concentrating on me.”
He took a warm-up bout in a local promotion in Korea to dust off the cobwebs, and scored a 23-second TKO victory to convince himself he was ready to return to the global stage again.
Now, he returns to the ONE cage looking to pick up where he left off, and work his way towards a bout against the only man to defeat him, reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes.
“I was hungry,” he said.
“I asked for a match within a month. I did not know Andrew Leone had withdrawn, but the timing was right.”
Leone’s loss was Kim’s gain, as he was handed a dream opportunity to not just return, but to catapult himself straight into the bantamweight title picture.
The South Korean striker is a national champion in Muay Thai, taekwondo, and wushu, and has showcased his diverse striking arsenal, along with his submission game, to finish nine of his 12 wins inside the distance.
The bout with Issa will pit two former world title challengers head-to-head, with both men seeking another shot at the gold.
Kim was submitted by Fernandes in their title tussle back in December 2014, while Issa lost out to Kim’s countryman Soo Chul Kim in a bout for the inaugural ONE Bantamweight Title back in October 2012.
Victory will propel one of the pair back towards a second title opportunity, and despite holding clear respect for his Brazilian opponent, Kim is determined that it will be him that progresses.
“I think he (Issa) is the closest to the ONE Bantamweight World Title,” he explained.
“He has a lot of experience and good jiu-jitsu. He is a good partner to test myself.”
In Kim’s mind, the result is already predetermined. He says it’s his destiny to make his ONE Championship return, win his way back into title contention, then exact revenge on his former foe and become world champion.
“I came back to take the title from Bibiano. The ONE Bantamweight World Title is mine,” he declared.
“I tasted the experience of Bibiano in the first leg. The second game will be an easy match for me.”
