"I will squash him like a fly"

Following his victory over Bob Sapp last weekend (which broke Korean cable TV rating records), Choi Hong Man is talking big:

“Bonjasky’s knee will not reach my face. I will squash him like a fly.”

Choi Hong-man(24), 218 cm tall, challenged K-1 Champion Remy Bonjasky (29, Dutch), who he will face off on November 19 at Japan’s Tokyo Dome in the 2005 K-1 World Grand Prix quarter finals.

That's a lot of smack from a guy who has only 6 fights under his belt.  To see what I am talking about, just look at Choi's K-1 record compared to Bonjasky's (from official K-1 fighter list, Choi's recent fight against Bob Sapp is not on the list). 

Yeah, Choi is a big guy but he is also clumsy and slow.  On the other hand Bonjasky is fast, smart, fearless (he will literally throw his body at opponents) and handsome.  OK, that last factor isn't really important but it is a pretty good sign of which guy the marketing boys in the K-1 office want to win.

It is going to be a good fight but I think Bonjasky will take the decision.  Choi just doesn't have the skills yet.  Maybe next year.

(Graphic from the DongA Ilbo)

BTW, judging from this quote (scroll down)from the press conference before the Sapp fight, Choi needs to work on his trash talking:

Sapp: I know my opponent Choi Hong-Mans been eating some black beans. So I think tomorrow he's gonna be sure to choke on this black bean. So you can call him Choi Hong-Man or you can call him the Giant, but ones things for sure, tomorrow you can call him knocked out.

Choi:  It seems like Bob is babbling about things, but I have nothing to say about what he's saying.

By comparison "I will squash him like a fly" seems pretty witty.

Comments

[Guns and Butter/The Asianist]

K1 is for wimps. Real fighters show up in PRIDE!

[Andy (AKA: The Yangban)]

I don't like Pride. Too many times the guys end up making sweet love on the floor.

[Guns and Butter/The Asianist]

It may look like "just" two guys on the canvas to the untrained eye, but anyone who's been arm-barred, choked and leg-locked knows that it ain't "sweet" at all.

K1 is just kickboxing. Pride is kickingboxing PLUS just about everything else, including grappling.

I don't know much about Korea's MMA scene, but I'm wondering why a former Ssireum champion would go striking only when he has natural grappling skills that can be honed into a more complete MMA package.

[judge judy]

PRIDE is the bomb! not just for the no-holds-barred fighting but for the homo-erotic in all of us...

i want to see the "bigger choi" take on tyson.

[Guns and Butter/The Asianist]

Hey, we see what we want to see.

What I see in UFC and PRIDE are two warriors battling it out with with minimum rules, striking, throwing, grappling included.

I've trained in both striking arts and grappling arts, and the combination cannot be beaten by restricted, one-range competitions.

If some people see "homo-eroticism," that's in their mind. Try looking in the mirror, I say.

[Random]

Not that this comment really matters since it's been almost two years since the event, but I feel I have to comment.

YOU [Guns n Butter] said: "Pride is kickingboxing PLUS just about everything else, including grappling."

"Real fighters show up in PRIDE!"

Please. I dare you to put anybody from PRIDE against Remy Bonjasky in a K1 rules fight. Even Fedor couldn't win that one.

K1 demands a different skill-set, ie: stand up. MMArtists cannot train the stand-up as much as kickboxers, just like kickboxers wouldn't be able to train for takedowns, since there are just not enough hours in the day.

The point: If someone came straight from K1 to take on a MMArtist in an MMA match, the K1 striker would lose.
If someone came straight from MMA to take on a world class kickboxer/K1 striker in a K1 rules match, the MMArtist would lose.

Why? Because both athletes have different skill sets for different sports... much like soccer players and basketball players.

[goughy]

i just got sumffin to say about the debate goin on about who's better a stand up fighter or a submission fighter. I train in muay thai kickboxing and akido and i think they r both great skills to have but really i believe it depends on whos better and whos got the most heart and willing to go the distance.
For example i've seen a muay thai fighter and a submission fighter fight in the mma and the muay thai fighter won because when he got taken down he used his elbows to split the guys head open and the guy couldnt get a punch in because the muay thai fighter had great blocking skills, Anyway it ended up turning into a stand up fight again and the submission fighter went to take down the thai fighter and got knocked out by taking 2 knees to the head.

[gorad]

takedowns are good for one on one. it's not gay. it's been part of the art of fighting since forever.

it's really easy to beat a lean jabber. with takedowns.