Kim Ji-yeon ( ko, 김지연; born October 18, 1992), often anglicized Ji Yeon Kim, is a South Korean mixed martial artist (MMA). She was the Jewels and Gladiator women's bantamweight champion. She competes in the Women's Flyweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Background

Kim was born and raised in Incheon, South Korea. She started training in the 8th grade after seeing a kickboxing match on television, which set off her desire for a career in combat sports. She also wrestled in the junior middle school and high school in her native South Korea.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Kim started her professional MMA career in 2013 and fought primarily in South Korea and Japan. Kim acquired a six-fight winning streak and became the Jewels and Gladiator women's bantamweight champion prior to joining the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kim made her UFC debut on June 17, 2017. Kim faced Lucie Pudilová at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia in Singapore. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Kim next faced Justine Kish on January 27, 2018, at UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson. She won the fight via split decision. Her third fight came on June 23, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Edwards against Melinda Fábián. She won the fight via split decision. Kim faced Antonina Shevchenko, replacing injured Ashlee Evans-Smith, on November 30, 2018 at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale. At the weigh-ins, Kim weighed in at 130.5 pounds, 4.5 pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126. She was fined 20 percent of her purse, which went to her opponent Shevchenko. The bout proceeded at catchweight. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Kim faced Nadia Kassem on October 6, 2019 at UFC 243. At the weigh-ins, Kim weighed in at 128 pounds, 2 pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126. Kim was fined 30% of her purse, which went to her opponent Kassem. She won the fight via technical knockout in round two. Kim was scheduled to face Sabina Mazo on December 21, 2019 on UFC on ESPN+ 23. However, on November 1, 2019, it was reported that Kim was forced to pull from the event due to undisclosed injury. Kim was scheduled to face Alexa Grasso on June 27, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. However, due to travel restrictions for both fighters due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, the bout was rescheduled on August 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 175. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Kim was scheduled to face Poliana Botelho on May 1, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 23. However, Kim pulled out of the fight on March 22 citing injury and was replaced by Mayra Bueno Silva. Kim faced Molly McCann on September 4, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 191 ''UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 191 '' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 49'' and ''UFC Vegas 36'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 4, 2021 at the ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. The back-and-forth bout won both contestants the '' Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Kim was scheduled to face Poliana Botelho on January 22, 2022 at UFC 270, but Botelho pulled out instead and the pairing was scrapped. Kim faced Priscila Cachoeira on February 26, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 202. She lost the bout via controversial unanimous decision. 14 out of 15 media scored Kim as the winner of the fight. Along with Cachoeira, Kim was awarded the '' Fight of the Night'' bonus award; her second overall. Kim was scheduled to face Mariya Agapova at

UFC 277 ''UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 30, 2022, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Women's Bantamweigh ...

on July 30, 2022. However, Agapova was forced out of the fight due to knee injury and she was replaced by

Joselyne Edwards Joselyne Edwards Laboriel (born September 29, 1995) is a Panamanian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Edwards started boxing when she was 13 years old, and after fo ...

. She lost the fight via split decision. Kim was scheduled to face Mandy Böhm on February 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 218. However, Böhm was forced to withdrew before the event start due to illness and the bout was cancelled.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Fight of the Night (Two times) * Jewels (mixed martial arts) ** Jewels Bantamweight Champion (One time) vs. Takayo Hashi * Gladiator ** Gladiator Bantamweight Champion (One time) vs. Miki Miyauchi

Mixed martial arts record

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Melinda Fábián Melinda Fábián (born June, 25 1987) is a Hungarian mixed martial artist. She was the first Hungarian to compete in the UFC. Background Born in 1987, Melinda Fábián first started fighting martial arts at the age of 12, starting to shotokan k ...

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Shizuka Sugiyama , occasionally nicknamed and , is an American-born Japanese female mixed martial artist. She previously fought in the MMA promotion Jewels and now competes for Deep. Background Sugiyama was born on in New York City, New York, United States. Sug ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Ji Yeon Living people 1989 births Flyweight mixed martial artists South Korean hapkido practitioners South Korean practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners South Korean female mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists South Korean sanshou practitioners Sportspeople from Incheon Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters Mixed martial artists utilizing sanshou Mixed martial artists utilizing hapkido Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu