XIAOMI ROAD FC 046 SPECIAL

COACHES SQUARE OFF: TEAM POSSE COACH WHI AND TEAM MAD COACH YANG

At this Saturday's Xiaomi ROAD FC 046, veteran Kim Nae-Chul returns against 2017 standout rookie Hwang In-Su in a highly anticipated middleweight match up between two aggressive and accurate strikers.

Kim Nae-Chul vs Hwang In-Su

Kim, of Team POSSE, has a record of 6-4 that spans over 6 years of professional MMA. Originally fighting at light heavyweight, he had two impressive performances: a majority loss in DEEP to the hugely experienced and Shunsuke Inoue, and a return to ROAD with a highlight reel-worthy KO over Ryuta Noji. KO. Then he somewhat reinvented himself and leaned down to 84kgs in 2015.

Kim's last two fights were absolute barn-burners that shocked by going the distance. He slugged it out with Special Forces slugger Park Jung-Kyo at ROAD FC 033 and got the decision, then went toe to toe to the final bell with tough Riki Fukuda at ROAD FC 036, losing on the score cards.

Hwang, of Team MAD, has 3 first-round finishes in 2017, his first year of professional MMA. He starched his first two opponents of a similar rookie level, which got him a big bump up to face Park Jung-Kyo.

It was over before it even began. A wide-eyed and pacing Hwang rushed out of his corner and proceeded to land punches that floored Park in just 11 seconds. That match at ROAD FC 045 put a huge exclamation on the final event of 2017, and set up Hwang as a middleweight to closely watch.

Team POSSE vs Team MAD

Kim and Hwang come from two of the most recognized teams in Korea, Team POSSE and Team MAD respectively.

Coach Whi Seung-Bae of POSSE has been churning out fighters since 2007, including former ROAD FC Champions Lee Eun-Soo and Nam Yui-Chul. Whi's pro record includes being an OG in Spirit MC and knocking out Shuji Morikawa in ROAD FC 001, plus knocking out Denis Kang, and stepping in on late notice to go the distance against none other than Sokoudjou.

Coach Yang Sung-Hoon of Team MAD has developed one of the most impressive stable of fighters in Korea, including former ROAD Champions Kang Kyung-Ho and Jo Nam-Jin, and current Champion, the world's best atomweight, Ham Seo-Hee. Yang is from a strong boxing background and is also a black belt in BJJ. His MMA career was 7 fights long in the short span of one year, 2004, in the historic Gimme 5 and Spirit MC.

The Coaches Speak

Original video on ROAD FC YouTube here

Whi: Hi, I am Seung-Bae Whi, who has been the main coach of Team Posse for 10 years.

Yang: Hi, I am Sung-Hoon Yang of Team Mad. Glad to meet you.

Q: First impression of their fighter

Whi: Hyun-Man Myung introduced him to me, it was summer. Nae-Chul wore some short pants and a loose T-shirt. I thought, 'This guy must be a gangster or something!' He looked so manly and tough. That was the beginning.

Yang: Everybody has different auras and Hwang's is delight. He makes others feel good, has good manners. He is a great guy.

Q: Pros and Cons

Whi: Nae-Chul's biggest strength is his mental toughness. That's why he gets stronger later in the fights. And he isn't afraid to get hit at all. In fact, many MMA guys care about getting hit a lot. But he doesn't. And his disadvantage is, since he fought about 50 kickboxing matches before transition to MMA, he has a lot of wear and tear, and some injuries. Still, it doesn't matter to him once the bell rings. [laughs]

Yang: Hwang is a freestyle fighter. Basically, he is a great striker. But he is a bit short of some detailed high level MMA techniques, such as cage wrestling and advanced positionings and escapes on the mat. As a powerful freestyle striker, his ability to finish the fight is amazing. But as I already said, his MMA techniques aren't complete yet. He fights like a NHB fighter, rather than a pro MMA fighter. But it is easy to learn the details with his athleticism and determination so I am very optimistic.

Q: Their views of their fighter as a person

Whi: Just as Nae-Chul looks, he is very manly and loyal. But on the other hand, he is so delicate and warm-hearted that he loves his cats to death. He is a great guy whose hard and mellow sides are well mixed and balanced.

Yang: Even though Hwang has a very short period of his dark gangster life background, he is a great guy after all. He makes other people happy, is well-mannered. And his attitude towards this sport is very serious.

Q: Evaluation of their opponent

Whi: Hwang's a talented kid but also has some holes from the technical standpoint. Basically, he's got great footwork, great eyes, and quite good defensive wrestling. Since we don't have much footage of his fights, the info we get is very limited. I think one of very important standards of fighter evaluation is how great a fighter fights and doesn't give up later in the rounds but I haven't seen any because he finished most of his fights early and doesn't have many fights yet. So basically it is hard to say if he is a real top-class fighter or not, but no doubt he is a talented fighter.

Yang: All fighters have their own ways of fighting and it is impossible to hide it. If you are a coach, you can read it after watching a couple of fights of the guy. Nae-Chul is regarded a great striker but his wrestling and grappling are also good. But if we could read the basic routes he takes in the fights, then we could defend all of his offense and do our own and I am very positive about that.

Q: Their expectations

Whi: It looks simple. Hwang is gonna look for big ones and try to end this fight quick. But as it goes longer, it is better for us. Basically, making a precise prediction in this sport is very hard. Even a lot of so called experts go the opposite in this field. So there aren't not many points me saying big positive things before the fight.

Yang: Not an easy fight. No doubt Nae-Chul is the most difficult puzzle Hwang has ever faced. Honestly, I am worried that a shortage of preparation time could be a big hinderance here. So I am doing my best to hone his defensive parts because I am sure that is the key to the victory.

Q: Message to the opposite coach

Whi: Hey Yang. Nae-Chul and I have prepared for this fight PERFECTLY. Whatever plans you have, it is not gonna work this time. So cheer up!

Yang: Hey brother. I am sure you guys have been training very hard for this one. Keep doing it and tire yourselves out because we are just having fun here and plan to do the same thing in the cage.

Q: Message to the fans

Whi: We have prepared for this fight so hard. And we have made various options. Please give all the fighters your support on ROAD FC this March 10th.

Yang: Hwang is a different kind of fighter who can excite people. This guy is gonna become a huge star in ROAD FC. Please come to the Jangchung Arena to see Hwang's next consecutive win. Thank you!

Xiaomi ROAD FC 046 takes place this Saturday, March 10, at the Jangchung Arena in Seoul, South Korea.