Kim Sang-won Road to UFC semifinals\nTFC 21 Comain Event Victory\nUFC title challenger Congratulations\nKim Sang-won PFL Third Korean\nUFC PFL Top 2\nPFL Director of World Martial Arts\nFlapping Kim Sang-won UFC active and 1 win, 1 loss\nUFC 6-game Jack Jenkins to defeat 2nd player\nUFC participation in the tournament has not been decided yet

For the second consecutive year, South Korean fighters will enter the MMA global number two stage.

TFC 21 – The Heart Reawaken was held at the Seoul Textile Center Event Hall on Oct. 17. Kim Sang-won (32, Korean Top Team) decorated the nose-main event.

Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won appears in the introduction video of TFC 21 Co-Main Event player at the event hall of Seoul Textile Center in October 2025. In 2026, it will advance to the PFL, the world's second-largest mixed martial arts organization. 사진=Top Fighting Championship 사진 확대 Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won appears in the introduction video of TFC 21 Co-Main Event player at the event hall of Seoul Textile Center in October 2025. In 2026, it will advance to the PFL, the world’s second-largest mixed martial arts organization. 사진=Top Fighting Championship Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won is introduced as a player in the TFC 21 Co-Main event at the event hall of the Seoul Textile Center in October 2025. 사진=Top Fighting Championship 사진 확대 Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won is introduced as a player in the TFC 21 Co-Main event at the event hall of the Seoul Textile Center in October 2025. 사진=Top Fighting Championship

KTT CEO Jeon Chan-yeol said in an interview with MK Sports, YouTube channel “Lee Kyo-duk GOAT,” and martial arts reporter Jung Sung-wook after the 21st event at the Niagara Hotel Diamond Hall in Seoul on October 16, “Kim Sang-won signed a two-game contract with the Professional Fighters League.”

As of October 13 in Korean time, the UFC and PFL are the only mixed martial arts organizations with more than 260 “Fight Matrix” world rankings and their average world ranking in the top 250.

▲2021 2023 Cho Sung-bin (33, Sweat Body Life) ▲ Following Kim Tae-kyun (31) in 2025, Kim Sang-won will continue the PFL Korea genealogy in 2026. If Cho Sung-bin is a former UFC Korean No. 16, Kim Sang-won is a Road to UFC Season 2 semifinal member.

Kim Sang-won passes the quarter-final match of the Shanghai Road to UFC Season 2 featherweight tournament in May 2023. Photo = TKO 사진 확대 Kim Sang-won passes the quarter-final match of the Shanghai Road to UFC Season 2 featherweight tournament in May 2023. Photo = TKO Kim Sang-won attacks Lee Ja in the semi-finals of the Singapore Indoor Gymnasium Road to UFC Season 2 featherweight tournament in August 2023. Lee Ja later played in UFC 1-1 defeat. Photo = TKO 사진 확대 Kim Sang-won attacks Lee Ja in the semi-finals of the Singapore Indoor Gymnasium Road to UFC Season 2 featherweight tournament in August 2023. Lee Ja later played in UFC 1-1 defeat. Photo = TKO

Winning the Asia Project RTU Tournament will qualify you for a UFC regular contract. Kim Sang-won later proved his ability to fail to advance to the finals by controlling Lee Ja- (28, China), who plays with UFC 1 win and 1 loss, with a grappling advantage of 2:23 and a 54.8% share.

Jack Jenkins (32, Australia), who Kim Sang-won overwhelmed with bare hands in March 2018, has 4 wins and 2 losses in UFC. KTT CEO Jeon Chan-yeol stressed that joining the PFL had been agreed earlier, saying, “I originally planned to play in 2025, but I couldn’t because of an eye injury.”

Since 2018, the PFL has selected champions by weight for every tournament except for 2020, which was canceled due to the COVID pandemic. The prize money will be $1 million in the six-weight division by 2024, and $500,000 in the eight-weight division by 2025.

Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won listens to precautions from Reprie before the start of the TFC 21 Co-Main event at the Seoul Textile Center Event Hall in October 2025. 사진=Top Fighting Championship 사진 확대 Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won listens to precautions from Reprie before the start of the TFC 21 Co-Main event at the Seoul Textile Center Event Hall in October 2025. 사진=Top Fighting Championship Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won is delighted after winning the TFC 21 Co-Main event at the Seoul Textile Center Event Hall in October 2025. 사진=Top Fighting Championship 사진 확대 Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won is delighted after winning the TFC 21 Co-Main event at the Seoul Textile Center Event Hall in October 2025. 사진=Top Fighting Championship

Kim Tae-kyun made a new history in mixed martial arts in South Korea by advancing to the semi-finals of the 2025 PFL featherweight tournament. KTT CEO Jeon Chan-yeol said, “I’m not sure yet whether Kim Sang-won will participate in the 2026 season tournament.”

Kim Sang-won proved his superior ability by overpowering his opponent with a shoulder press in one minute and two seconds after the start of the TFC 21 Co-Main event. In an on-site interview, he explained, “The PFL also understood that he would not play in 2025 and allowed him to play.”

MK Sports inquired about the PFL’s official position on the interview with KTT CEO Jeon Chan-yeol and TFC Kim Sang-won. Christopher Tuttle, director of public relations, affirmed this and confirmed whether it was true.

Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won is declared to win the TFC 21 Co-Main event at the event hall of the Seoul Textile Center in October 2025. 사진=Top Fighting Championship 사진 확대 Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won is declared to win the TFC 21 Co-Main event at the event hall of the Seoul Textile Center in October 2025. 사진=Top Fighting Championship Road to UFC Season 2 Semi-Final Kim Sang-won is interviewing for the victory of the TFC 21 Co-Main Event at the Event Hall of the Seoul Textile Center in October 2025. 사진=Top Fighting Championship 사진 확대 Road to UFC Season 2 Semi-Final Kim Sang-won is interviewing for the victory of the TFC 21 Co-Main Event at the Event Hall of the Seoul Textile Center in October 2025. 사진=Top Fighting Championship

Including Lee Do-gyeom (35), who experienced the “Challenger Series” in 2022, the only PFL Koreans in history are Kim Sang-won. Attention is focusing on what kind of performance Kim Sang-won will make in 2026.

Khalil Rowntree Jr. (35, USA), a former UFC light heavyweight (93kg) title challenger, drew attention by taking a photo together to commemorate the victory of the TFC 21 Co-Main event as a guest fighter. Kim Sang-won was congratulated directly by the strongman, who rose to fourth place in the UFC’s official ranking from June to September 2025.

Kim Sang-won is taking a photo to commemorate the victory of the TFC 21 Co-Main Event at the event hall of the textile center in Seoul in October 2025. UFC light-heavyweight title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. attended as a guest fighter and congratulated him. Photo = Reporter Jung Sung-wook of Rank Five 사진 확대 Kim Sang-won is taking a photo to commemorate the victory of the TFC 21 Co-Main Event at the event hall of the textile center in Seoul in October 2025. UFC light-heavyweight title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. attended as a guest fighter and congratulated him. Photo = Reporter Jung Sung-wook of Rank Five

Park Chang-beom, chairman of the Korea Digital Asset Evaluation Certification, who also serves as chairman of the Korean Top Team, sponsored TFC 21. On the day of the competition, South Korea’s UFC 1718 fighter Jung Da-woon (32) and Park Joon-yong (34), who represent KTT, held a signing event in front of the event hall on the third floor of the textile center from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Kim Sang-won MMA Major career

2016~ 14 wins, 7 losses, and 1 draw

KO/TKO 04 wins and 2 losses

Submission 05 wins and 0 losses

Probably.

0 wins and 1 loss

professional

14 wins, six losses, and one draw

2021 Double G featherweight champion

2023 Road to UFC Semi-Finals

U.S. PFL for 2026 (scheduled)

Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won appears in the introduction video of TFC 21 Co-Main Event player at the event hall of Seoul Textile Center in October 2025. In 2026, it will advance to the PFL, the world's second-largest mixed martial arts organization. 사진=Top Fighting Championship 사진 확대 Road to UFC Season 2 semifinalist Kim Sang-won appears in the introduction video of TFC 21 Co-Main Event player at the event hall of Seoul Textile Center in October 2025. In 2026, it will advance to the PFL, the world’s second-largest mixed martial arts organization. 사진=Top Fighting Championship

[Daechi-dong, Seoul = Kang Dae-ho, MK Sports Reporter]