Former ONE lightweight world champion Ok Rae Yoon‘s road back to the gold begins at “ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III” on Prime Video this weekend.
The South Korean star faces American standout Lowen Tynanes (11-1) at ONE Championship’s highly anticipated U.S. on-ground debut event at the 1STBANK Center in Colorado.
Ok (16-4) has competed all over Asia in his storied, 20-fight professional career that has seen him claim 16 victories, including wins over Eddie Alvarez, Marat Gafurov and Christian Lee.
But the journey to North America is a first for the 32-year-old, and he couldn’t be more motivated to showcase his skills to the American fanbase.
“I’m so excited to participate in my first U.S. tournament, and I’m even more excited because it’s my first time competing in the U.S. I hope this competition goes well and gets bigger,” he said.
Ok’s fight with Tynanes – his first since losing the world title to Lee in their rematch last August – was originally set for late-2022 until an injury scuppered his return.
The Team Mad representative admits he was disappointed to let his followers down on that occasion, but he assures them that their patience will pay off this Friday.
“Actually, the match was confirmed, but it was canceled due to my injury. I want to show my gratitude to the fans with a good performance by being able to rematch (the fight) that was canceled due to my injury,” Ok said.
Fellow South Korean contender Dae Sung Park stepped up to take on Tynanes in the former lightweight king’s place. The two met at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December, where Park went down to a split-decision loss.
That result has given Ok a whole new motivation to topple Tynanes. The top-ranked lightweight contender wants to put on a show and prove to the world that his country has fighters that can take it to the best.
“Yes, of course there is pressure. So many Korean fans must have seen it and felt sorry for that,” he said.
“So, I want to fill in the gap and pay back the fans. Park Dae Sung was also the replacement because I was suddenly injured. I think he could have done better if he had more time.”
