The veteran coach and analyst, Dae Hwan Kim, breaks down the biggest matchups of the Black Cup semifinals, highlighting one major upset pick while backing one favorite with overwhelming confidence.
As anticipation builds for the Black Cup semifinals, veteran coach and commentator Dae Hwan Kim offered his breakdown of the event’s featured matchups during a recent podcast, analyzing each fight through the lens of style, physical attributes, and previous performances.
While he stressed that mixed martial arts is inherently unpredictable, Dae Hwan Kim wasn’t afraid to make his picks, including one upset that caught even his co-host by surprise.
Here’s how he sees the biggest fights unfolding.
Sung Woong Kim (Viper) vs. Chang Hyeon Shin (Tigro)
Prediction: Chang Hyeon Shin
According to Dae Hwan Kim, this could be one of the closest contests on the card, but he ultimately favors Chang Hyeon Shin.
His reasoning centers on the physical matchup.
Sung Woong Kim has built much of his success competing at flyweight, where his height, reach and clinch game have been major advantages. Moving up to bantamweight against an opponent of similar size changes that equation considerably.
Dae Hwan Kim also referenced previous sparring sessions between the two, noting that Sung absorbed more clean punches than expected. Since then, he believes Chang has continued to develop both his striking and takedown defense, making him an even more difficult opponent than before.
That doesn’t mean he’s counting Sung out.
In fact, Dae Hwan Kim repeatedly praised Sung’s creativity.
He described him as one of Black Combat’s most unpredictable strikers, a fighter capable of producing awkward angles, unusual timing and unexpected submissions that can completely change the momentum of a fight.
“You never know what’s coming,” Dae Hwan Kim explained, pointing to Sung’s unconventional offense as the biggest variable in the matchup.
HanPunch Take
While Dae Hwan Kim leans toward Chang Hyeon Shin, he views Sung Woong Kim as a dangerous underdog whose unpredictability makes him capable of pulling off an upset.
Luan Santiago (Leopard) vs. Soon Tae Choi (Seonbongjang)
Prediction: No Official Pick
This was the one fight Dae Hwan Kim refused to call.
The reason?
Soon Tae Choi is his student.
Laughing, Dae Hwan Kim admitted it would be impossible for him to objectively predict a fight involving one of his own athletes.
Still, he offered plenty of insight.
He acknowledged that Luan Santiago, a former Brave CF champion, presents an enormous challenge. Santiago accepted the fight after another opponent withdrew and enters the matchup with extensive experience, impressive reach and proven success against quality competition.
Many fans believe Soon Tae Choi is facing an uphill battle.
Dae Hwan Kim doesn’t see it that way.
He revealed that his team has spent the limited preparation time building a strategy specifically tailored to Santiago’s style and believes the public is underestimating his fighter.
Rather than viewing the matchup as hopeless, he emphasized that Soon Tae Choi accepted the challenge believing he can win, not simply to participate.
His co-host ultimately predicted a Soon Tae Choi victory, while Dae Hwan Kim declined to make an official selection out of respect for his role as coach.
HanPunch Take
Although Dae Hwan Kim wouldn’t publicly choose between his own fighter and Santiago, it’s clear he believes Soon Tae Choi has a much better chance than many fans are giving him.
Takahiro Komakine (Tank) vs. Sung Hoon Woo (Woo Ma Wang)
Prediction: Sung Hoon Woo (Upset Pick)
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the discussion came when Dae Hwan Kim selected Sung Hoon Woo to upset Takahiro Komakine.
Ironically, much of his analysis actually favored Komakine.
He acknowledged that the Japanese standout possesses superior wrestling, stronger positional control and a more complete overall MMA skill set. On paper, Komakine deserves to be considered the favorite.
So why pick Woo?
One word.
Power.
Dae Hwan Kim believes Sung Hoon Woo possesses legitimate fight-ending knockout power capable of erasing any technical disadvantage with a single punch.
He also offered a tactical recommendation.
Rather than loading up on looping hooks early, he believes Woo should fight behind his jab, attack the body and remain patient. A disciplined striking approach, he argued, would make it much more difficult for Komakine to secure takedowns while increasing Woo’s chances of landing the decisive shot.
“If he fights patiently instead of chasing the knockout,” Dae Hwan Kim suggested, “he has a real opportunity to win.”
HanPunch Take
Despite acknowledging Takahiro Komakine’s technical superiority, Dae Hwan Kim believes Sung Hoon Woo’s power makes him one of the most dangerous underdogs on the entire card.
Victor Hugo (Psycho) vs. Tae Kyun Kim (Ares)
Prediction: Tae Kyun Kim
This was the easiest prediction of the episode.
Dae Hwan Kim gave Tae Kyun Kim an overwhelming edge and repeatedly emphasized that he views the matchup as heavily one-sided.
His confidence comes down to three factors.
First, size.
Tae Kyun Kim is naturally larger and longer, giving him significant advantages in both striking exchanges and grappling.
Second, experience.
While Victor Hugo’s victory over Wolf King earned widespread attention, Dae Hwan Kim believes that submission was the product of an opponent unfamiliar with rubber guard rather than something likely to happen again against an elite grappler.
“If Wolf King trained for a month against that position,” he argued, “he’d never get caught the same way again.”
Finally, he believes Tae Kyun Kim simply has too many weapons.
Whether the fight stays standing or goes to the mat, Dae Hwan Kim sees Ares holding the advantage.
That doesn’t mean he dismisses Victor Hugo.
He praised the Brazilian as a legitimate UFC-caliber athlete with dangerous striking and unpredictable submissions capable of creating problems for anyone.
But he believes those threats won’t be enough.
At one point, Dae Hwan Kim joked that the chances of Tae Kyun Kim losing were “0.001 percent,” adding that if Victor Hugo pulled off the upset, he’d have to “go open a new store” because his prediction would have been so spectacularly wrong.
HanPunch Take
Dae Hwan Kim views Victor Hugo as a dangerous and experienced veteran, but ultimately believes Tae Kyun Kim is simply the more complete mixed martial artist and should emerge victorious.
What It Means
Predictions are part of every major fight week, but Dae Hwan Kim’s analysis offered more than simple picks. His breakdowns focused on the stylistic details that often determine MMA outcomes, size, timing, wrestling, striking and preparation.
His final selections were:
- Chang Hyeon Shin over Song Ung Kim
- No official pick between Luan Santiago and Soon Tae Choi
- Sung Hoon Woo to upset Takahiro Komakine
- Tae Kyun Kim over Victor Hugo
Whether those predictions prove accurate remains to be seen, but they provide an intriguing look at how one of Korea’s most respected coaches views the biggest matchups heading into the Black Cup semifinals.
With national pride on the line in the South Korea vs. Mongolia team competition, fans won’t have to wait much longer to find out which predictions come true.
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