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On ONE Championship’s last card, Inside the Matrix 4, Kwon Won Il dispatched of his opponent, Bruno Pucci, in spectacular fashion. A body shot that shut down the liver put Pucci on the defense and Kwon pounced to get the first round finish. The South Korean bounced back and is ready to make a name for himself and his country in the world of mixed martial arts.
His career started with a simple move by his family. “I transferred to a new school in a different area and started training in a gym in front of my new house,” says Kwon Won Il.
Outside of fighting, Won Il enjoys being active overall and is a music fan. “Aside from MMA, I like listening to music and activities where I can move my body around.”
For the uninitiated, Taekwondo is the martial art that hails from Korea. Kwon Won Il speaks on the influence the sport has on Koreans from a very young age.
“For the martial arts in Korea, there’s Taekwondo. We have a saying in Korea that we all learn Taekwondo as soon as we start walking. Most of the people in Korea trains Taekwondo.”
Kwon Won Il vs. Bruno Pucci
At Inside the Matrix 4, Kwon Won Il and Bruno Pucci was a classic stylistic matchup. Won Il is the striker and Pucci the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner. At the beginning of the fight, Pucci pushes Won Il against the cage and Won Il would have to fight him off.
“I knew Bruno Pucci was very strong in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. And when he wrapped around my waist, he really had a strong grip. That’s when I was reassured that he’s really good in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.”
At the end, Won Il had Pucci hurt with a body shot and the fight was nearing it’s end. But, Kwon Won Il wasn’t so sure and was careful with his shots.
“I wasn’t sure that the fight was going to end because I knew Bruno Pucci was tough. So I was very patient with my shots because he can always recover from it.”
Fighting for ONE Championship
ONE Championship is the premier Asian MMA promotion. Having fights ranging from MMA, to Muay Thai, to kickboxing, ONE Championship has something for every fight fan. Kwon Won Il enjoys fighting for ONE and is thankful for the opportunity and trust the promotion has put in him.
“ONE Championship is an organization that gave me an opportunity. They always give me great experiences and I can’t thank them enough. The next will be great and the ones after that will be great with ONE Championship. And they have a similar name as mine!”
Going forward in his career, Kwon Won Il would like to be a World Champion at some point. But, more importantly, Won Il had to be an inspiration to young Koreans and have them look up to him as a martial artist.
“My goal is that I hope I can create a MMA boom in Korea because of me. Like all the people in Korea will go crazy over MMA events and MMA will be one of the most popular sports in Korea. And I hope somebody will look up to me and want to become like me when they grow up. I hope I can be someone who can give others positive energy and hope at hard times like now due to the pandemic. And of course I would like to become a World Champion.”
Kwon Won Il is sure to make more highlights as his career continues in ONE Championship. Be sure to follow him on Instagram to follow his fight journey.
