2nd single hip-hop singer + Road to UFC season 2 member
Second participation in Japan Raijin, a top 5 mixed martial arts competition
Forced to fight in a two-game series against UFC 28th and 34th ranked fighters
Lee Jung-hyun, 6KO winner vs. Ito, winner of the Japanese Boxing Championships
Hip-hop singer Lee Jung-hyun (22) will face a strong player from the lower tier of the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization in two consecutive matches.
Rizin Landmark 10 will be held on November 17 at Exhibition Hall 1 of the International Exhibition Center in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan (capacity: 15,000). Jeong-Hyeon Lee, a former member of Road to UFC Season 2, will compete against Yuki Ito (27), a former outsider champion, in a 5-minute x 3-round match at flyweight (-57kg).
news/cms/202411/15/news-p.v1.20241111.db5182ee333941eea53a5ab0ff2886e5_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="403" /> Enlarge photo Lee Jung-hyun (left), final 24 member of ‘High School Rapper’ Season 4, and Japan’s ‘Outsider’ champion Yuki Ito. Photo = RIZIN FF 
news/cms/202411/15/news-p.v1.20241111.d105433912be42b58b5a94edc616f203_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="660" /> Enlarge photo Cover of hip-hop singer Lee Jung-hyun’s 2nd single album WTS, released in February 2023
UFC, PFL, Bellator (USA), ONE Championship (Singapore), and Japanese Raijin are grouped into major mixed martial arts competitions. Lee Jung-hyun made his presence known as a ‘rapping fighter’ in Season 4 of Mnet’s hip-hop audition ‘High School Rapper’ in 2021.
After passing the attendance check lab exploration battle, grade-level cypher, and group evaluation, I was eliminated from the 1-on-1 topic battle in which 24 people competed. He is an active rapper who has participated in a total of four albums, including releasing two single albums.
UFC launched RTU in 2022 to discover mixed martial arts talent in Asia. Lee Jung-hyun made up for the disappointment of losing the 2023 Season 2 semifinals with a left head kick victory in the first round of the Road FC year-end competition, but lost after being unable to escape the shoulder press technique 4 minutes and 29 seconds into his Raijin debut in April 2024.
news/cms/202411/15/news-p.v1.20240426.bd700954fdc64618884e67938b0b89be_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="495" /> Enlarge photo Road to UFC Season 2 Jeong-Hyeon Lee (right), former DEEP and Cage Fury champion Makoto ‘Shinryu’ Takahashi. Photo = RIZIN FF
This is a comeback 203 days after losing the first big league game. However, Makoto ‘Shinryu’ Takahashi (24) six months ago and Yuki Ito, who competed this time, both seem to be difficult opponents for Jeong-Hyun Lee.
Yuki Ito scored 51 points in the first quarter of 2023, and Makoto Shinryu scored 74 points in the second to fourth quarters of the same year, a career high in the mixed martial arts ranking system ‘Fight Matrix’. He is currently at his peak, ranked 34th (top 89.5%) and 28th (top 73.7%) in the UFC flyweight division.
Lee Jung-hyun must demonstrate rare destructive power in the lightweight division, where he has won five mixed martial arts and one kickboxing win by KO since his professional debut, to narrow the gap. However, it is not easy to compete with Yuki Ito, winner of the 2013 2nd Japan Youth Boxing Championships.
news/cms/202411/15/news-p.v1.20241111.8cfc81665d6841a48dd6bae86470d274_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="495" /> Enlarge photo Lee Jeong-hyeon (right), who has 17 wins in mixed martial arts and 1 win in kickboxing, and Yuki Ito, a former DEEP interim champion. Photo = RIZIN FF
Raijin’s official website also acknowledged “Striker Lee Jung-hyun, who has a lot of KO wins with explosive strikes,” but also analyzed, saying, “Yuki Ito not only has sharp straight punches, but also has the skills to engage in a comprehensive fight that mixes takedowns.” .
Yuki Ito participated in Road FC 50 held at Chungmu Gymnasium in Daejeon in November 2018, using his success as the 55kg champion at the invitation of ‘Outsider’, a Japanese mixed martial arts player training project invited in December 2016, and his success in the first defense of the title in March 2018. He became a full-fledged professional fighter through a TKO win in the first round.
The Raijin website says, “I am Lee Jeong-hyun, who is active as a supernova at Road FC and has experience in the war. He introduced Yuki Ito’s determination, saying, “I will aim for a KO victory by demonstrating my striking sense, which is my natural strength.”
news/cms/202411/15/news-p.v1.20241111.fc66a478450f4e608b4f84f42f084d1c_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="468" /> Enlarge photo Singer and mixed martial arts fighter Lee Jung-hyun is happy after winning a TKO in the 2021 Road FC 59 flyweight match. Photo = Reporter Cheon Jeong-hwan 
news/cms/202411/15/news-p.v1.20241111.074663d21f1f473f99373c0e9455e37c_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="401" /> Enlarge photo Global ranking of mixed martial arts competition athlete base
The 2021 DEEP flyweight interim championship match is also a notable piece of Yuki Ito’s career. Japan’s DEEP is a mixed martial arts organization ranked 5th in Asia and 15th globally with 56 world-ranked fighters according to ‘Fight Matrix’.
The Raijin website said, “If Yuki Ito mainly attacks with boxing punches, Jeonghyun Lee has a fighting style that knows how to effectively mix kicks. He said, “It is a striking battle where attention will be focused on how the compatibility of Ito, who is aiming for a parry, and Lee Jeong-hyun, who rushes when the distance is established, will work together.”
Of course, mixed martial arts is not kickboxing. The Raijin website said, “When each person has a different striking style, it is wrestling that changes the flow of the match. Yuki Ito is better in terms of diversity of ground techniques, but the point to watch is how much Lee Jung-hyun has practiced grappling,” he explained to the Japanese fandom.
Lee Jeong-hyun pledged to win through the Raijin website, saying, “I want to show my potential and potential on the major stage by spectacularly KOing Ito Yuki, who has excellent boxing skills and techniques.”
news/cms/202411/15/news-p.v1.20241111.44780556c23c4cbcba95e2bd0e047bfe_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="825" /> Enlarge photo Jeonghyun Lee May 2024 Raijin 46 profile. Photo = RIZIN FF
Lee Jeong-hyeon’s mixed martial arts career
2018~ 17 wins, 4 losses
Amateur 8 wins, 2 losses
KO/TKO 5 wins, undefeated
Submission draw, 1 loss
2023 Road to UFC quarterfinal elimination
Rizin loses debut match in 2024
news/cms/202411/15/news-p.v1.20241111.610a89e563df4e9aa8e39c19fba279b5_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="825" /> Enlarge photo Jeonghyun Lee May 2024 Raijin 46 profile. Photo = RIZIN FF
Yuki Ito’s main mixed martial arts career
2016~ 16 wins, 5 losses
Amateur 6 wins, undefeated
KO/TKO 10 wins, 1 loss
Submission 3 wins, undefeated
Became the 2016 Outsider Champion
2021 DEEP provisional title match
2021~ Rizin 6 wins, 1 loss
news/cms/202411/15/news-p.v1.20241111.f02bdcf92b1d4f7a946ad07bc127c42f_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="825" /> Enlarge photo Yuki Ito May 2023 Raijin 42 profile. Photo = RIZIN FF
[강대호 MK스포츠 기자]
