The former UFC welterweight was impressed by the level of training in Thailand, but an encounter with an exceptionally powerful grappling partner left him dealing with severe rib pain and an unexpected trip to the hospital.
Dong Hyun Kim went to Thailand looking for hard training.
He certainly found it.
The former UFC welterweight’s latest Thailand training camp episode follows Kim as he visits different gyms, works with local coaches and gets an up-close look at the training environment available to professional fighters in the country.
For most of the day, Kim appeared to be enjoying exactly what he had traveled for.
Then came the grappling session.
By the end of the night, Kim was sitting in a Thai hospital waiting to find out whether he had seriously injured his ribs.
Kim Impressed by Thailand Training Environment
The episode begins with Kim and his team continuing to explore different training opportunities in Thailand.
One of the things that seems to impress Kim most is the level of attention provided by the coaches.
During an earlier session, Kim notices that a coach had already studied footage of one of the Korean fighters traveling with him and adjusted the training around that fighter’s individual tendencies.
“He watched his fights and is doing it to match his style,” Kim observed.
Rather than treating the trip simply as an opportunity to get rounds in, Kim appears interested in learning how different coaches approach fighters and what his team can take back from the experience.
That continued when the group moved into grappling.
Kim described the technical level positively and noted that professional fighters regularly train in the room.
Then he met a training partner who immediately got his attention.
“I Thought My Ribs Were Going to Give Out”
Dong Hyun Kim has spent much of his life around elite combat athletes.
He competed 18 times in the UFC between 2008 and 2017, sharing the Octagon with some of the best welterweights of his generation.
So when someone physically surprises him in a training room, his reaction carries some weight.
During the grappling session, Kim found himself working with a particularly powerful training partner.
Afterward, he struggled to describe just how strong the man felt.
“I thought my ribs were going to give out,” Kim said.
Kim explained that he initially thought his partner might simply be holding position with strength. Eventually, he realized there was more happening technically than he first understood.
He was particularly surprised by the combination of technique and physical pressure.
“I’ve trained with strong people before, but wow, he’s really strong,” Kim said.
Unfortunately, the discovery came with a price.
Something Was Wrong With His Rib
At first, Dong Hyun Kim wasn’t entirely sure what had happened.
He remembered struggling during the grappling exchange and developing pain around the side of his rib cage, but couldn’t identify one obvious moment when the injury occurred.
Kim was also frustrated with himself.
It was still early in the Thailand trip, with considerably more training planned, and he questioned whether he had pushed too hard too soon.
“I really hate getting hurt while training,” Kim said. “It’s our first day, so maybe I shouldn’t overdo it.”
Still, his biggest takeaway immediately afterward was just how unusually strong his training partner had been.
“Among the strong people I’ve met, he’s really no joke.”
Kim decided the rib would need to be checked if the pain continued.
Initially, however, the discomfort appeared manageable.
That changed after he got into the shower.
A Sudden Pop Changes Everything
Kim later explained that the rib had been tender when touched but wasn’t causing enough trouble for him to panic.
While showering, he ran his hand across the affected area.
Then something moved.
Kim described feeling a sudden pop or shift, followed by significantly worse pain.
Pressing the area became extremely painful. Even coughing hurt.
At that point, waiting it out became considerably less appealing.
Kim said his wife urged him to go to a hospital, and after finding a nearby facility, he decided an X-ray was worth the trouble.
Part of the decision was psychological.
If doctors could tell him the bone was fine, Kim felt he would at least be able to stop worrying about the possibility of a fracture.
Instead of finishing another day of training, he headed to a hospital.
Four Hours at a Thai Hospital
The initial news was encouraging.
According to Kim, the X-ray did not show an obvious bone injury. Doctors instead believed he was dealing with a muscular issue.
Kim received treatment that included medication, pain relief, a spray and an injection.
The entire hospital visit took more than four hours.
The pain hadn’t disappeared, though.
Kim said he planned to undergo another examination after returning to Korea, particularly because of how severe the discomfort remained.
Still, knowing that the X-ray hadn’t revealed an obvious fracture gave him some relief.
“Psychologically, I feel a little better,” Kim said. “At least it’s not like the bone is broken.”
Then came one final surprise.
The hospital visit cost him approximately 500,000 won.
Kim couldn’t help but laugh at the situation.
“Muscle pain, and it cost me 500,000 won.”
The Risk That Comes With Seeking Better Rounds
The injury interrupted the trip, but it also illustrated what Kim appeared to be looking for by traveling to Thailand in the first place.
He wasn’t there simply to film himself going through familiar workouts.
Kim was visiting unfamiliar gyms, putting himself around different coaches and testing himself against people he didn’t normally train with.
That carries risk.
This time, it resulted in a hospital visit.
But before the pain became the dominant story of the day, Kim repeatedly talked about how much he was enjoying the training and how much he was learning.
Even after getting hurt, his reaction to the grappling session wasn’t anger.
It was respect.
Dong Hyun Kim went to Thailand searching for different looks and difficult training.
One exceptionally strong training partner gave him both perhaps a little more than he expected.
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