Hyung Soo Kim

Overview

Hyung Soo Kim (김형수) is a South Korean mixed martial artist known by the nickname “Immortal Wrestler.”

A member of Kim Dae Hwan Boxing & MMA, Hyung Soo Kim built a 4-1-1 professional record while competing primarily for ROAD FC, with additional appearances in Japan.

Hyung Soo Kim’s career is unusual because his professional debut came against one of the world’s most accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors: Kron Gracie, son of Rickson Gracie. Kim was submitted by armbar just 65 seconds into that fight at Real 1 in Japan in December 2014.

It would ultimately become the only loss of his professional career.

Hyung Soo Kim responded by going unbeaten across his next five appearances, earning four victories and one draw. That stretch included three ROAD FC wins, a draw with Hyung Geun Park, and his lone professional knockout against Tetsuya Sano in Japan.

His last recorded professional appearance came at ROAD FC 48 in July 2018, where he defeated Chang Geun Jeon by unanimous decision. Tapology currently lists Kim as inactive for ranking purposes.

Early Life & Background

There is very little reliable public information documenting Hyung Soo Kim’s childhood, education, or introduction to combat sports, so HanPunch should avoid speculating about those portions of his background.

What is clear from his competitive identity is Hyung Soo Kim’s wrestling foundation. His “Immortal Wrestler” nickname and fighting style reflected an approach centered around physical pressure, positional control, and the ability to dictate where exchanges took place.

Kim developed as part of Kim Dae Hwan Boxing & MMA, the team founded by former professional fighter and longtime Korean MMA coach Dae Hwan Kim.

Interestingly, Kim was originally scheduled to face Hyung Geun Park at ROAD FC 16 in July 2014, before his official professional debut. That bout was cancelled after Kim suffered an injury. The two would eventually meet more than two years later.

Kim ultimately made his professional debut on the international stage rather than in Korea, facing Kron Gracie in Japan.

Fighting Style

Wrestling-Based Control

As his nickname suggests, wrestling formed the foundation of Kim’s MMA game.

Rather than building his résumé around explosive finishes, Kim generally succeeded by controlling the direction and tempo of fights, working through physical exchanges and accumulating advantages over multiple rounds.

His record supports that assessment. Three of his four professional victories came by unanimous decision, with his remaining victory coming by TKO.

Pressure and Physicality

At approximately 5’7″, Kim was not particularly long for either featherweight or lightweight. His game therefore depended less on controlling opponents from striking range and more on closing distance and creating physical exchanges.

That approach proved effective against domestic opposition. Following his debut loss, Kim defeated Brian Choi and Byung Ok Cho by unanimous decision before fighting Hyung Geun Park to a split draw.

Developing Striking

Although Kim’s professional résumé was largely decision-oriented, his 2017 performance against Tetsuya Sano demonstrated another dimension to his game.

Kim stopped Sano with punches at 3:09 of the first round, recording the only KO/TKO victory of his professional career.

That finish is particularly notable because it came later in his career, after Kim had already established himself primarily as a wrestler and decision fighter.

Difficult to Beat

Perhaps the most interesting feature of Kim’s record is what happened after his debut.

Kron Gracie remains the only fighter officially credited with defeating Hyung Soo Kim. After that loss, Kim went 4-0-1 across his remaining five professional appearances.

For a fighter whose style was built around wrestling and control rather than overwhelming finishing power, that consistency was one of his strongest attributes.

Professional Career

Hyung Soo Kim’s professional career began under extraordinary circumstances.

On December 23, 2014, he traveled to Japan to face Kron Gracie in the main event of Real 1. The matchup was the professional MMA debut for both men. Gracie immediately demonstrated his elite submission ability, securing an armbar just 1:05 into the opening round.

Rather than allowing the loss to define his career, Kim returned to South Korea and began competing regularly for ROAD FC.

At ROAD FC 22 in March 2015, Kim defeated Brian Choi by unanimous decision to earn his first professional victory.

He followed that performance with another important win at ROAD FC 28 in January 2016, defeating Byung Ok Cho by unanimous decision on the main card at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul.

Hyung Soo Kim then finally received the matchup that had fallen apart two years earlier when he faced Hyung Geun Park at ROAD FC 35 in December 2016. After two rounds, the judges returned a split draw, keeping Kim’s post-Gracie unbeaten streak intact.

His next appearance took him back to Japan.

Facing Tetsuya Sano at The Outsider in December 2017, Kim delivered the only stoppage victory of his professional career, finishing Sano with punches at 3:09 of Round 1.

Hyung Soo Kim returned to ROAD FC for what remains his final recorded professional appearance.

At ROAD FC 48 on July 28, 2018, he defeated Chang Geun Jeon by unanimous decision, improving his professional record to 4-1-1 and extending his unbeaten streak to five fights.

He has not recorded another professional MMA bout since.

Career Highlights

• Compiled a 4-1-1 professional MMA record.
• Nicknamed “Immortal Wrestler.”
• Represented Kim Dae Hwan Boxing & MMA.
• Competed primarily at featherweight and lightweight.
• Made his professional debut against elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor Kron Gracie in Japan in 2014.
• Won four of his final five fights, with the other ending in a draw.
• Remained undefeated across his final five professional appearances.
• Earned ROAD FC victories over Brian Choi, Byung Ok Cho and Chang Geun Jeon.
• Fought Hyung Geun Park to a split draw at ROAD FC 35.
• Recorded his lone professional stoppage with a first-round TKO of Tetsuya Sano in Japan.
• Finished his recorded professional career on a four-fight winning streak.

Summary & Trajectory

Hyung Soo Kim’s professional career was brief, but his 4-1-1 record tells an interesting story. After being given an exceptionally difficult assignment against Kron Gracie in his professional debut, Kim never lost another recorded MMA fight.

Representing Kim Dae Hwan Boxing & MMA, the “Immortal Wrestler” established himself primarily through wrestling, physical pressure and consistent round-winning ability. Three of his four victories came by unanimous decision, while his first-round TKO of Tetsuya Sano demonstrated that his striking had also developed as his career progressed.

Hyung Soo Kim ultimately went 4-0-1 following the Gracie loss, concluding his recorded career with a unanimous decision over Chang Geun Jeon at ROAD FC 48 in 2018.

Although inactivity prevented him from building on that momentum, Kim’s résumé remains distinctive: six professional fights, only one defeat, and a loss that came against one of the most accomplished grapplers ever to transition into MMA.