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“The Iron Turtle” Park had won five of his last six, the lone loss coming against Gregory Rodrigues.

The first half of the opening round of UFC Baku’s lone middleweight fight was a bit of a feeling out process, but soon enough, Naurdiev appeared to have found his range. That, however, did not stop Park from marching forward, working his jab, and connecting with the right hands that trailed it. An eye poke halted the action with about 90 seconds left in the round; when the fight resumed, it was almost immediately halted again for a glancing low blow. Their pair fought on however, with Naurdiev loading up on a few shots, but Park rocking him with a counter! Naurdiev then slipped off a body shot; after a slow start, Naurdiev vs. Park had become a hard-hitting affair.

Things went south quickly in round two. Jun Yong Park was a downed opponent, on a knee, when Naurdiev connected with a massive knee strike to the face. That opened up a huge cut on “The Iron Turtle,” and Naurdiev followed up with punches then ran off to celebrate what he thought was a win. Park got back to his feet, and the doctor was brought in to check him over. Surprisingly, Park was allowed to continue, and the ref took not one but two points from Naurdeiv. Which, for Naurdiev, was still better than a DQ loss.

Off the restart, Park changed levels, shooting in for a takedown and driving Naurdiev into the fence. Naurdiev would eventually break free, and they re-engaged at center, before clinching up along the fence again. The takeaway, Park seemed to have recovered from a very egregious foul. Though he found himself slammed down just past two minutes in, Naurdiev threatening to take the back. Park scrambled out, and got to a knee- not eating an illegal one this time thankfully. Instead, Park got Naurdiev down himself, moving to a three-quarter position along the fence. The horn would sound before he could do any real damage however.

Round three saw the gritty Park take the fight back to the mat, and this time he was heavy on top. Threatening to take the back, looking to isolate an arm, getting a hook in, softening up Naurdiev with punches – Park was in the driver’s seat. Ismail Naurdiev, meanwhile, was fading. They’d go to the final bell, with Park taking the victory on the scorecards. And as it turned out, he would have had the win even without the points being deducted.

Official Result: Jun Yong Park def. Ismail Naurdiev by unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-25)

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Both men were capable of producing explosive fights. This one had also been brewing for a while, originally booked for July until Park experienced medical issues at weigh-ins.

The bout began with both men measuring each other out momentarily until Park thru a naked kick and ate a huge right hand. The punch from Tavares landed flush, and floored Jun Yong Park. Tavares was able to get to the back of his opponent but wasn’t able to find the submission. After a few seconds, both fighters were back to their feet, with Park on the attack. Park started to walk down Tavares, throwing short boxing combos.

Tavares was able to adequately return fire but looked noticeably uncomfortable. Midway through the round and Park corralled Tavares against the cage, as he looked to work to a takedown and slow the pace of the fight. Jun Yong Park searched for the takedown for about a minute before disengaging. With 60 seconds left to go in the round, Tavares began to land the leg kick to Park’s lead leg more and more. With 20 seconds to go in the round the action was stopped as Park claimed to get poked in the eye. After a short replay the action was resumed as Tavares had actually grazed Park with a punch.

To start the second round Tavares went right back to the leg kick. Tavares landed a nice body kick which Park and used to sweep him to the ground. Brad was able to return to his feet and the pace of the fight was off to the races. Park continued a relentless assault of short-range boxing on Tavares who utilized his feet and boxing to try and defend. A back-and-forth firefight.

A couple minutes into the round and Park began to target the lead leg of his opponent with leg kicks as well. Midway through the round and the roles have changed as Tavares played more of the aggressor moving towards Park and popping out jab-led boxing combinations. Tavares continued to walk down his opponent, increasing his pace but eating numerous jabs from his foe. The end of the round saw this trend continued with Tavares still looking to land that big combination as he did at the beginning of the first.

The final round saw Tavares come out throwing hard and landing big boxing combinations. Brad went gun for gun with Jun Yong Park for a few seconds before getting rocked and stumbling back against the cage.  Park looked to time a jumping knee as his opponent rebounded off the fence but missed. Jun Young Park was able to salvage the moment by grabbing a body lock against the cage.

Both men struggled for strategic position against the cage for about a minute before Park was finally able to land a definitive takedown. Brad scooted toward the cage looking to both defend his back and return to his feet at the mid-way point of the round. Park now was partially on his opponent’s back and took the opportunity to land la couple of short strikes while maintaining wrist control. Brad elected to roll to his back, but Park seemed more than content to ‘play it safe’ and hold his opponent on the ground and land short strikes to run out the clock.

In his post-fight speech Jun Yong Park took the time to say- through his translator- that he would like his next fight to be against a ranked middleweight opponent. He also said that if the UFC couldn’t pull that off, then he’d like a money fight.

Official Result: Jun Yong Park def. Brad Tavares by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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“There was a small scar or small scratch on the back of my ear. The physician said that it was staph infection,” Park told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.

“So the fight got canceled unfortunately. Kind of wack.”

Park (17-6) was supposed to fight Tavares in July. The doctor pulled him from the card, but the fight wasn’t rebooked until October. Park reached out to his opponent on social media to explain what happened.

“I talked to him on Instagram. I told him what happened. Sorry and we both cut weight, we were both looking forward to this fight, and unfortunately it didn’t happen. Brad was very understanding of it. He’s like, you know these things happen.”

It wasn’t guaranteed that the Tavares fight would be rebooked, but Park says he would have fought whoever the UFC told him to fight. There really was only one downside to taking the fight.

“Two time(s) cutting weight. F*ck”, Park said in English.

“Two time(s)!”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Jun Yong Park above. He takes on Brad Tavares at UFC Vegas 98 on Saturday night.

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Muniz gained fame by submitting the legend Jacare Souza via armbar and kept his win streak going for two fights after that. Unfortunately, he lost his ranked status when he lost two straight to Brendan Allen and Paul Craig so he sought to regain it by beating Park. ‘Iron Turtle’ came in on the best streak of his UFC career; he won four in a row and three of those by submission before facing Muniz.

After a feeling-out process, Muniz shot a double leg takedown and quickly moved to the back of Park along the fence. The fence initially prevented him from getting both hooks in but Muniz never relinquished the rear body-lock and trapped Park in a spin cycle of being mat returned repeatedly upon each stand-up.

Finally with ninety seconds left Muniz was able to drag Park away from the fence and get both hooks in to solidify his back take. He looked for a choke but Park was able to spin into the guard and get into full mount with thirty seconds left in the round, where he rained down elbows until the horn.

After a first round which was made close by the damage from Park at the end, the second round started with a competitive striking battle. Andre Muniz shot a takedown which failed initially one minute in, but then he pulled guard and was able to roll into top position with a slick move. As Park tried to stand up, Muniz took his back. Park again spun into the position to escape but Muniz stayed after him and wrestled to the rear body-lock, again using it to take the back. Park squirmed to avoid being settled in a dominant position but was not able to escape the grasp of Muniz fully until the horn separated them.

With potential for the scorecards to have Muniz ahead two rounds to none or to have the fight tied one round apiece there was all to play for in the final stanza. Muniz once again executed his gameplan of getting the takedown and securing a spot on Park’s back. With a body triangle locked up it was much harder for Park to spin into the guard of Muniz like he had before. Nevertheless, the South Korean did just that, ending up on top in the dangerous full guard of the Brazilian. Muniz swept him but Park used a single leg to wrestle up and get to the feet. Muniz instantly shot a takedown but Park defended it and got on top of Muniz in guard again. Park had trouble getting past Muniz’s defense but was still able to land some ground strikes through that resistance, leading to a tense judges’ decision.

The decision was predictably split, though when all three scorecards were read it was Andre Muniz who earned two 29-28’s and thus the victory.

Official Result: Andre Muniz def. Jun Yong Park by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Middleweight Park is back in action at UFC Vegas 83, facing Andre Muniz on a card that has shifted from Shanghai, China to Las Vegas, NV.

“It really doesn’t matter to me honestly,” Park (17-5) said during the UFC Vegas 83 media day when asked about the shift, and whether he would have preferred to compete in Asia. “Las Vegas, I’ve been here quite a few times. As long as I’m able to fight on December 9, that’s all that matters to me.”

Park got a little extra attention after a celebratory dance following his last win, and since then, he’s been asked “over 50 times” if he’ll do it again.

“If I win, it’s not something that I plan, it’s just goes by feel,” he responded when asked about that dance. “So who knows. You might see it again. I live without thinking.”

Fans, he noted, have been talking about his dancing, giving him more attention than in the past. “A lot of fans in Korea, they don’t really talk about my fight, they talk about my dance. So all I ask is just please, watch my match. I’m not a dancer, I’m a fighter!”

When it comes to opponent Andre Muniz, a dangerous BJJ fighter, Jun Yong Park noted that “I thought about him a lot, I went over things. He does have a really good ground game, but when it comes to his southpaw stance, his reach, his legs and arms reach is something I have to consider, especially with the distance— I have to keep [it] in mind for the match.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 83 media day appearance by Jun Yong Park above.

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That said, Park vs. Duraev still carried with it explosive potential, with Duraev looking for his second straight win and third overall in the UFC. South Korea’s Park, meanwhile, had won three straight.

The first round started with Duraev landing a beautiful left hook and some nice rips to the body, leaving Park bleeding early. Park mixed it up early with some good low kicks. Duraev and Park both traded some clean left hooks in the middle of this round. Park seemed to be patient but took a lot of damage throughout the round. Duraev was loading up, using a lot of energy to land big shots. Park jumped the guillotine with about 30 seconds left in the round and had it tight, but Duraev was able to hang on to close out the round.

Duraev and Park quickly got back to action, with Duraev taking Park down at the start of round two. Park did a really good job of getting back to his feet fast, and both fighters went right back to work in the center of the octagon. Duraev and Park were both landing right hands behind their jabs throughout the round. Park started turning up the pace, overwhelming Duraev, and dropping him with an elbow. Park took the back of Duraev after he dropped him and was looking for the rear naked choke. It took him a minute to work the choke, but he eventually found it, finishing Duraev in round two.

This was a great fight from start to finish, starting with Duraev’s strong first round. The second round was different when Park completely took over the fight and turned up the pace a notch to find the finish in round two. This was a huge win for Jun Yong Park, and it’s even better that he got the finish. Park looks to continue to climb the ranks, winning his fourth fight in a row.

Official Result: Jun Yong Park def. Albert Duraev by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:45

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Tiuliulin looked thoroughly outclassed in his debut in the UFC but in his second and most recent performance, he beat Jamie Pickett up before TKOing him in the second round. Meanwhile, Park had a stellar record of 5-2 in the UFC since his debut in 2019, meaning a win could find him close to a ranking in his next fight.

Tiuliulin advanced out of the gate and seemed to have a hands advantage early on. Park mostly worked the jab and actually seemed to damage his face quite quickly. Then the Iron Turtle shot a takedown and after a bit of a struggle against the cage, he got Tiuliulin down. Park settled into a dominant full mount position with Tiuliulin’s head up against the fence.

Park wrapped up a potential guillotine, though it may have been more to control the posture of the Russian. Park had trouble finding room to strike down, but after two minutes of control time and with two minutes left in the round he opened up with elbows, which had Tiuliulin cut open quickly.

Denis did not appear to be doing the things he needed to be doing to escape or defend himself. With one minute left in the round he turned to his back after receiving a warning from Mark Smith. This was exactly what ‘The Iron Turtle’ wanted as he locked up a rear-naked choke on the battered Tiuliulin, who was out after about three seconds of the choke being locked in.

Official Result: Jun-Yong Park def. Denis Tiuliulin by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:05

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Meanwhile, Park has racked up an impressive 4-2 record since his debut three years ago, losing only to fringe top-15 contenders Gregory Rodrigues and Alexander ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez.

The pair came out trading jabs and leg kicks as they tried to figure out each other’s range. Park pressed forward as much as he could. Holmes began to open up with heavier punches which partially landed one minute into the fight. However, the caginess of the fight continued for the most part. Park landed one good right hand halfway through the round, but Holmes clinched up to defuse the pressure. Park was able to take down Holmes and get on his foe’s back soon afterwards. Even though he only had one hook in his control was consistent until he was able to get the second hook in with one minute left in the round. Soon after, Park snaked his arm under Holmes’ chin, looking for the rear-naked choke, but Holmes kept his chin tucked. Next, Holmes turned into Park and reversed the position, even taking Park’s back in the last fifteen seconds of the round. It seemed that Park had won the round, but Holmes was clearly not going to lay down and give in.

Park got back on the pressure to start the second round and he quickly ducked into a body-lock. Park used a trip attempt to slide to Holmes’ back and then sat back to the mat, dragging Holmes with him. Park then transitioned to full mount, having a dominant position early in the round. Holmes was able to partially re-guard, into quarter guard. Then, as he turned away Park took the back in a similar position to that he had for much of the first round. Park snaked his arm under the chin and almost made Holmes tap, but Joe survived and Park postured up to land hard ground and pound strikes. Park then worked to flatten his foe out so he could land strikes more easily. The strikes softened up Joe Holmes and ‘The Iron Turtle’ was able to once again snake his forearm under the chin. This time, Holmes had no choice but to tap as he was completely flattened out.

Official Result: Jun Yong Park def. Joseph Holmes by Submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:04

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Holmes (8-2) and Park (14-5) will meet each other at the UFC’s October 29, 2022 Fight Night event, which is yet to have a location or venue announced. Holmes, along with management firm Iridium Sports Agency, announced the news on Thursday.

Coming off a win over Alen Amedovski, Holmes will be looking to make it two straight inside the UFC octagon. “Ugly Man Joe” joined the UFC last year, dropping his debut against Jamie Pickett on short notice. That loss snapped a seven-fight win streak, but Holmes had a much better night against Amedovski.

He’ll look to continue that success against Park, who will enter the fight off a split decision victory over Eryk Anders. That saw him bounce back off a Fight of the Night loss to Gregory Rodrigues in his previous outing.

The UFC’s October 29, 2022 fight card does not yet have a broadcast plan announced. The following bouts have been reported for the event thus far:

• Edson Barboza vs. Ilia Topuria
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
• Steve Garcia vs. Chase Hooper
• Jun Yong Park vs. Joseph Holmes

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