ARTICLE
Korean MMA Fighter, Song Ga Yeon is Not Just A Pretty Face!
By InCinemas / 25 Sep 2014 (Thursday)
Korean most beloved MMA fighter, also widely known as ‘deadly beauty’, Song Ga Yeon is ready to be the next MMA star.
Many might know her from the popular Korean reality show ‘Roommate’ where she shared a room with Kpop singer Park Bom (2NE1) and model Lee So Ra. Though Song, the youngest member among the cast have since departed from the show, viewers have often talked about her strict exercise regime and her determination to be a professional MMA fighter.
During a phone interview with Song, her representative mentioned she practices for ‘five to 6 hours a day’.
“She will usually go to the gym in the morning and will train with the other male fighters in the afternoon as there are not many female fighters in Korea… she will then exercise alone, focusing on track-running these days,” he continued.
The 19-year-old martial artist revealed in the show that the sport helped her through tough times when she was younger, especially during the period when her father passed away. Reports have said that her martial arts journey since was about turning tragedy and sorrow into growth and determination. “During my childhood, my father introduced sports (to me) and I grew up loving combat sports.”
“I took three years of Judo and three years of kickboxing, so I am able to adapt to MMA fighting easily,” she added.
With the nationwide label as ‘deadly beauty’ tagged to the petite fighter, she claims the nickname is her ‘strength and weakness’.
“I don’t think I’m pretty, I am just another female fighter. In Korea, people are focused on the appearance, but the nickname is both my strength and weakness at the same time,” she shared.
And because of the popularity she gained through ‘Roommate’, there was much attention focused on her debut fight with Emi Yamamoto. She said, “Participating in the TV reality programme did quite have an influence on my first debut (fight) as a professional fighter in Korea. We didn’t expect to have gained that much attention from the general public. I participated as a newcomer…as a MMA fighter.”
“We think she had a lot of attention also because her debut match was when she was in Korea,” Song’s representative added.
We might not be able to see this ‘deadly beauty’ on entertainment shows anytime soon as her ‘priority is to learn and grow as a MMA fighter first’. “She just won one fight. Her first fight. She wants to be a serious fighter and maybe after her successful MMA career, she might think about acting or singing, but for now is a MMA fighter,” he said.
Song Ga Yeon's MMA debut appearance will be showing on ROAD FC 017 on 26 Sep (Fri) at 10PM on KIX (Starhub Cable TV Channel 518) and KIX HD (SingTel mioTV Channel 309)