Kim’s Pride Dream Deferred

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Another reason for Kim’s relative obscurity may be that, save some impressive judo and elbows in his otherwise methodical stoppage of an overmatched Jason Tan, he has had trouble generating highlight reel footage in the UFC. It is a criticism of which he seems acutely aware and wants to change in his UFC 125 bout with Nate Diaz on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“In Deep, I usually finished fights by knockout, but in the UFC, the fighters are much better. It’s not that the UFC puts pressure on me to finish fights. I put pressure on myself,” Kim says. “[Diaz is] a strong fighter, and he’s famous. His style is very similar to his brother’s. He’s aggressive, and there isn’t much chance that our fight will go to a decision.

“He’s a great all-around fighter, but I want to keep our fight standing,” he adds. “I want to put on an exciting fight. That’s why I’m training to stand and trade with Nate Diaz.”

Kim explains this the way a mechanic might take the time to clarify what exactly is wrong with one’s car: serious, factual and business-like. The “Stun Gun” is a celebrity but in a uniquely Korean way. When the camera comes out, he is quick to pose like a model, hamming it up like he has been handed a karaoke microphone. Yet, cultural humility and respect are always present in Kim’s language and behavior. He owns a new SUV, but he shows up at the gym riding a scooter.

Perhaps that is because he is not totally at ease with stardom and fighting on the biggest international platform.

“Every fighter is the same. On TV, it’s difficult to tell how nervous we are,” Kim says. “In the locker room, you can hear the crowd. We pretend not to be nervous. We practice looking calm, but during the entrance, just the sound of my breath is very loud in my ears.

“The fear doesn‘t go away; it just gets more fun,” he adds. “Like going bungee jumping, it’s scary before, but after it’s over, I can’t wait to do it again. It reminds me of my training in the Marines. When it’s all over, the MMA state of mind is ‘One guy smiles. One guy dies.’”

It is hard for me to believe the man sitting on the floor across from me in a Busan restaurant is that anonymous welterweight from three years ago. As he casually chews through rice and seaweed, one would never guess he was just days away from the chance to show he’s one of MMA’s top welterweights. It will come years too late and on the opposite side of the world, but the Diaz bout represents the kind of stage and spotlight Kim imagined as a young athlete dreaming of fighting in Pride.

“When I was young, it wasn’t my dream to be an MMA fighter. I wanted to be a Pride fighter,” he says. “That’s why I’m going to use the Pride theme as my entrance song for my fight with Nate Diaz.”

Two years ago, when Kim met Matt Brown at UFC 88 in Atlanta, the Korean asked to make his ring entrance to DJ Sammy’s techno remix of Bryan Adams’ “Heaven,” a choice that was vetoed by UFC President Dana White. Former Pride stars Filipovic and Jackson have both previously entered to the Pride theme, declaring their fondness and gratitude to the promotion, as well as trying to evoke the kind of performances that made them superstars during its heyday.

However, “Cro Cop” and “Rampage” each had dozens of chances to stand on the stage in front of tens of thousands of fans while Lenne Hardt screamed their names. Kim has never had the chance to stand amidst the thumping drums and tremolo of strings. On New Year’s Day, he will finally get his chance to be the fighter he imagined he could be three years ago.

Jong Yoon Kim provided translation assistance for this story.