The United States swept the final four matchups to reach the Black Cup final, while Min Woo Kim and Hyuk Min Ji delivered first-round finishes in Bucheon.
The United States completed a four-fight comeback to defeat Japan 4–3 in the Black Cup semifinal at Black Combat’s 61st event, held August 29 at Bucheon Gymnasium in South Korea.
Japan swept the first three contests and moved within one victory of advancing. Chuka Willis, Dylan O’Sullivan, O’Shay Jordan and Lake Gee then delivered four consecutive wins for the United States, securing a place in the Black Cup final against Mongolia.
The seven international matchups were part of a 17-fight card that also featured first-round finishes from Min Woo Kim, Hyuk Min Ji, Eo Jin Park, Jae Hyuk Bang, Il Hak Oh and Jung Hwan Cha.
Jung Hwan Cha and Il Hak Oh Score First-Round Finishes
Jung Kyun Kim opened the event with a fourth-minute stoppage of Young Je Jung in their lightweight contest. Kim entered the matchup determined to rely on his striking and eventually forced the finish with punches at 4:22 of the opening round.
Following the victory, Kim called out second-ranked Black Combat lightweight Ali “Dagger” Gadzhiev.
Ruslan Amuyev followed with a dominant bantamweight performance against Marcelo Guarilha. Amuyev swept the scorecards by margins of 30–26, 30–26 and 30–25.
Aydemir Kazbekov then submitted Kyung Yeol Jung with a ninja choke at 4:59 of the first round. Kazbekov said afterward that he hoped to compete at Black Combat’s Gocheok Sky Dome event in November.
Former Road FC middleweight champion Jung Hwan Cha produced one of the event’s most notable upsets against Khamzat Chapanov. After surviving Chapanov’s grappling pressure, Cha capitalized on a successful left hook and finished the fight with ground-and-pound at 4:03 of the opening round.
Cha revealed that he had prepared for five months and credited his MMA Story teammates and students for helping him handle Chapanov’s pressure. When he said he would need his wife’s approval to compete again in November, she gave him an approving signal from the crowd.
Il Hak Oh closed the opening session with the fastest finish of the event. The reigning Black Combat middleweight champion stopped Patrick Kelvin with ground-and-pound just 37 seconds into their welterweight contest.
Black Combat co-CEO Pyeong Hwa Park subsequently announced that Oh is expected to make his first middleweight title defense at the promotion’s November event at Gocheok Sky Dome.
Japan Takes Command of the Black Cup Semifinal
Japan began the Black Cup semifinal with three consecutive decision victories.
Sora Yamasaki controlled Isiah Torres throughout their flyweight matchup, earning a unanimous decision with scores of 30–25, 30–25 and 30–26.
Mitsuhiro Toma then defeated Daniel McElhaney in a closer featherweight contest. All three judges scored the fight 29–28 for the Japanese representative.
Yu Tanaka extended Japan’s lead to 3–0 by defeating Miles Hunsinger at welterweight. Tanaka received scores of 29–28, 29–28 and 30–27, leaving Japan only one victory away from advancing to the final.
Chuka Willis Starts the American Rally
With the United States facing elimination, Chuka Willis changed the direction of the competition against Takuya Yamamoto.
Willis broke through late in the lightweight matchup and stopped Yamamoto with punches at 4:46 of the second round. The victory put the United States on the scoreboard and began its four-fight comeback.
Dylan O’Sullivan followed by defeating Ryutaro Sato in the middleweight contest. O’Sullivan earned a unanimous decision with 30–27 scorecards, cutting Japan’s advantage to 3–2.
O’Shay Jordan Lands a Head-Kick Knockout
O’Shay Jordan brought the semifinal level with its most dramatic finish.
The American heavyweight knocked out Takaaki Oban with a head kick at 2:14 of the opening round. Jordan credited his mother for helping him earn his taekwondo black belt before thanking the Korean audience.
“I dedicate this honor to my mother, who helped me earn my taekwondo black belt. Thank you. I love Korea.”
Jordan’s knockout tied the team competition at 3–3, leaving the final bantamweight contest to determine which nation would advance.
Lake Gee Completes the Comeback
Lake Gee completed the American rally by submitting Rukiya “Pikachu” Mukai in the deciding matchup.
Gee secured an arm-triangle choke at 2:25 of the second round, giving the United States its fourth consecutive victory and a 4–3 team win.
Although pleased with the result, Gee also praised his opponent afterward.
“It feels good to win, but Pikachu was impressive too.”
After losing the first three fights of the semifinal, the United States swept the remaining four matchups—with three of those victories coming by stoppage—to secure a place in the Black Cup final against Mongolia. The date of the championship matchup has not yet been announced.
Daichi Takenaka Returns to the Win Column
Daichi Takenaka opened the final portion of Black Combat 61 by submitting Jin Se Lee with a rear-naked choke at 2:14 of the second round.
Takenaka said the victory helped him regain the confidence he lost following his unsuccessful challenge against Black Combat bantamweight champion Jae Woong Kim. He also expressed interest in eventually facing Kim again.
Eo Jin Park Earns a Lightweight Title Shot
Road to UFC Season 4 featherweight quarterfinalist Eo Jin Park submitted former Black Combat lightweight champion Song Ha Lee with a rear-naked choke at 4:18 of the first round.
The result earned Park a lightweight championship opportunity against reigning titleholder Han Kook Jung at the November Gocheok Sky Dome event.
Park and Jung have history. Park defeated Jung in December 2024 and dismissed the champion’s suggestion that the previous result was caused by an excessive focus on leg locks.
Park also explained that he entered the fight determined to secure his first finish since September 2024, resulting in a noticeably aggressive performance against Lee.
Jae Hyuk Bang Submits Felipe Pereira
Former Gladiator featherweight champion Jae Hyuk Bang added another first-round finish by submitting Felipe Pereira with a rear-naked choke at 4:15.
Bang called out 11th-ranked Black Combat featherweight Leonardo “Mocca” Diniz afterward and proposed a matchup at Gocheok Sky Dome in November.
“I’ll put on an exciting fight at the Gocheok Dome event in November.”
Hyuk Min Ji Survives Early Trouble to Stop Ismail Kelemetov
Hyuk Min Ji secured an important victory over Ismail Kelemetov in the featherweight co-main event.
Kelemetov hurt Ji with a lead hook early in the contest, but the 21-year-old Korean prospect recovered and turned the fight around. Ji ultimately stopped Kelemetov with punches at 3:38 of the first round.
Ji admitted afterward that the initial punch left him badly disoriented.
“When the first lead hook landed, I saw three of him. If he had landed the follow-up attack, I could have been in serious trouble.”
Black Combat’s Pyeong Hwa Park responded to the performance by announcing that Ji would receive compensation at a championship-level rate moving forward.
Min Woo Kim Stops Lucas Bento in Main Event
Min Woo Kim delivered a dominant performance against Lucas Bento in the featherweight main event.
The former Road to UFC semifinalist overwhelmed Bento on the ground and finished the fight with strikes at 1:37 of the opening round. Kim recognized that his opponent was no longer intelligently defending himself and stopped punching before the referee officially intervened.
Following the victory, Black Combat announced that Kim will face third-ranked featherweight Adilet “Wolf King” Nurmatov at Gocheok Sky Dome in November.
Black Cup Semifinals: Japan Vs USA Official Results
Part 1
- Lightweight: Jung Kyun Kim def. Young Je Jung by first-round TKO (punches) — 4:22
- Bantamweight: Ruslan Amuyev def. Marcelo Guarilha by unanimous decision — 30–26, 30–26, 30–25
- Bantamweight: Aydemir Kazbekov def. Kyung Yeol Jung by first-round submission (ninja choke) — 4:59
- Middleweight: Jung Hwan Cha def. Khamzat Chapanov by first-round TKO (ground-and-pound) — 4:03
- Welterweight: Il Hak Oh def. Patrick Kelvin by first-round TKO (ground-and-pound) — 0:37
Black Cup Semifinal: Japan vs. United States
- Flyweight: Sora Yamasaki (Japan) def. Isiah Torres (USA) by unanimous decision — 30–25, 30–25, 30–26
- Featherweight: Mitsuhiro Toma (Japan) def. Daniel McElhaney (USA) by unanimous decision — 29–28, 29–28, 29–28
- Welterweight: Yu Tanaka (Japan) def. Miles Hunsinger (USA) by unanimous decision — 29–28, 29–28, 30–27
- Lightweight: Chuka Willis (USA) def. Takuya Yamamoto (Japan) by second-round TKO (punches) — 4:46
- Middleweight: Dylan O’Sullivan (USA) def. Ryutaro Sato (Japan) by unanimous decision — 30–27
- Heavyweight: O’Shay Jordan (USA) def. Takaaki Oban (Japan) by first-round KO (head kick) — 2:14
- Bantamweight: Lake Gee (USA) def. Rukiya Mukai (Japan) by second-round submission (arm-triangle choke) — 2:25
Black Cup semifinal result: United States 4–3 Japan
Part 3
- Bantamweight: Daichi Takenaka def. Jin Se Lee by second-round submission (rear-naked choke) — 2:14
- Lightweight: Eo Jin Park def. Song Ha Lee by first-round submission (rear-naked choke) — 4:18
- Featherweight: Jae Hyuk Bang def. Felipe Pereira by first-round submission (rear-naked choke) — 4:15
- Featherweight co-main event: Hyuk Min Ji def. Ismail Kelemetov by first-round TKO (punches) — 3:38
- Featherweight main event: Min Woo Kim def. Lucas Bento by first-round KO (ground strikes) — 1:37
Black Combat’s 61st event ended with seven consecutive finishes following the Black Cup semifinal. The United States secured its championship opportunity against Mongolia, while Black Combat established several major matchups for its planned November event at Gocheok Sky Dome.
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