Kwon Won-il (; born June 24, 1995) is a South Korean

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division of

ONE Championship ONE Championship, formerly ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) until January 2015, is a Multinational corporation, multinational combat sports Promoter (entertainment), promotion founded on 14 July 2011 by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui. Origi ...

. As of March 6, 2023, he is ranked #4 in the ONE Bantamweight rankings.

Background

Kwon was born on June 24, 1996, in

Daejeon Daejeon (; ) is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of nearly 1.5 million. Located in a central lowland valley between the Sobaek Mountains and the Geum River, the city is known both as a ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

's fifth-largest city, about 150 kilometers south of the capital of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. His martial arts journey began when he joined his elementary school’s

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

team, where he showed natural talent and advanced beyond provincial competitions to participate in the national youth tournament. However, Kwon was far from a model student. He quit taekwondo when he graduated from elementary school, citing a lack of direction and getting into fights with other students. Eventually, he was ordered to be transferred to another school. After being informed of the news, his mother cried in front of the school's principal, and Kwon was motivated to better himself.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Kwon started his professional MMA career in 2014, fighting primarily in South Korea and Japan. He amassed a record of 4–0 prior to his signing with

ONE Championship

Kwon made his promotional debut against Anthony Engelen on January 19, 2019, at ONE: Eternal Glory. He won the fight via 67 second technical knockout in the first round. Kwon faced

Masakazu Imanari is a Japanese mixed martial artist and submission wrestler. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2000, he is a veteran of ONE Championship, DEEP, ZST, Pancrase, PRIDE F ...

on February 22, 2019, at ONE: Call to Greatness. He lost the fight via a heel hook submission in 53 second from the first round. Kwon faced former ONE Featherweight World Championship challenger Eric Kelly April 12, 2019, at ONE: Roots of Honor. He won the fight via 19 second technical knockout in the first round. Kwon faced Koyomi Matsushima on June 15, 2019, at ONE: Legendary Quest. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Kwon faced Sunoto Peringkat on October 13, 2019, at ONE: Century – Part 1. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Kwon faced Shoko Sato on January 31, 2020, at ONE: Fire & Fury. He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Kwon faced

Bruno Pucci Bruno Francisco Vicentini Pucci (born July 23, 1990) known professionally as Bruno Pucci is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who holds a black belt and is best known for winning gold in the featherweight division at the 2009 and ...

on October 30, 2020, and aired on November 20, 2022, at ONE: Inside the Matrix 4. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Kwon faced Chen Rui on January 20, 2021, and aired on January 27, 2021, at ONE: Unbreakable 2. He won the fight via technical knockout in the third round. Kwon faced former ONE Bantamweight World Champion

Kevin Belingon Kevin Indunan Belingon (born October 30, 1987) is a Filipino mixed martial artist. He competed mostly with ONE Championship, where he was the former ONE Bantamweight World Champion and Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) Flyweight Cham ...

on December 3, 2021, and aired on December 17, 2021, at ONE: Winter Warriors II. He won the fight via knockout in the second round. Kwon faced

Fabrício Andrade Fabrício de Andrade (born October 10, 1997) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer, who competes in the Bantamweight division of ONE Championship, where he is the current ONE Bantamweight World Champion. Background ...

on June 3, 2022, at ONE 158. He lost the fight via a body kick knockout in the first round. Kwon was scheduled to face Mark Abelardo on November 19, 2022, at

ONE on Prime Video 4 ''ONE on Prime Video 4: Abbasov vs. Lee'' (also known as ''ONE Fight Night 4'') was a Combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on November 19, 2022 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background The or ...

. However, on November 4, it was announced that the bout was moved to ONE 163. He won the fight via technical knockout in the third round. Kwon faced Artem Belakh on June 10, 2023, at

ONE Fight Night 11 ''ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov'' was a Combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on June 10, 2023, at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Background A ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Championship bo ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Kwon faced Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg on January 14, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 18. He won the fight via technical knockout in the round two. Kwon faced

in a rematch for the

ONE Bantamweight World Championship This is a list of ONE Championship champions in each weight division of each sport. Current champions , Xiong Jing Nan , align=center , January 20, 2018 , align=center , , align=center , 7 , - ! align=left , Atomweight , Denice Zamboan ...

on January 24, 2025, at

ONE 170 ''ONE 170: Tawanchai vs. Superbon 2'' was a combat sports event produced by ONE Championship that took place on January 24, 2025, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Background The event marked the promotion's 18th held in Impact Arena ...

. He lost the fight via first round technical knockout.

Titles and accomplishments

Professional

** Performance of the Night (Two times) ** Most finishes in ONE Bantamweight Division (9)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 ,

, TKO (punch to the body) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, Thailand , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg , TKO (elbows) , ONE Fight Night 18 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:40 ,

, Thailand , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Artem Belakh , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:57 ,

, Thailand , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Mark Abelardo , TKO (knee and punches) , ONE 163 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:44 ,

Kallang Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...

, Singapore , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 ,

, KO (body kick) , ONE 158 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 ,

, KO (punch to the body) , ONE: Winter Warriors II , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:52 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Chen Rui , TKO (punches) , ONE: Unbreakable 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:31 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 ,

, TKO (punches) , ONE: Inside the Matrix 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

, Singapore , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–3 , Shoko Sato , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ONE: Fire & Fury , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:05 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Philippine census, 2020 census, it has a ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Sunoto Peringkat , TKO (punches) , ONE: Century – Part 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:43 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 , Koyomi Matsushima , Decision (unanimous) , ONE: Legendary Quest , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Eric Kelly , TKO (punches) , ONE: Roots of Honor , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:19 ,

, Philippines , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 ,

, Submission (heel hook) , ONE: Call to Greatness , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:53 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Anthony Engelen , TKO (punches) , ONE: Eternal Glory , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:07 ,

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, Indonesia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Toshihiro Shimizu , Decision (split) , NeoFight 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Cheongpyeong Cheongpyeong () is a small town about 1 hour east of Seoul, South Korea, in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province. It has a population of approximately 20,000. It is serviced by 3 schools: an elementary, middle and high school. It attracts Korean ...

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Arlan Faurillo , TKO (punches) , URCC Bets 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kim Sung-hyun , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Top FC 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:10 ,

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Hirotaka Miyakawa , TKO (punches) , DEEP 66 Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

, Japan ,

References

External links

Kwon Won Il
at

ONE 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwon, Won Il 1995 births Living people South Korean male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo People from Daejeon Sportspeople from Daejeon South Korean male taekwondo practitioners ONE Championship mixed martial artists 21st-century South Korean sportsmen