Kang Ji Won reveals what gravitated him towards martial arts growing up in South Korea: “Academics weren’t for me”

At ONE Fight Night 16, Kang Ji Won will return to the circle for his fifth appearance under the ONE Championship banner.

Now carrying with him the four-fight experience of competing under the biggest and brightest lights, the 28-year old is looking to put together a run towards the top of the division.

With all three of his wins, and his one loss to ‘Buchecha’, coming by way of first-round finishes, you can never afford to blink when this heavyweight makes the walk.

On November 3, the South Korean will welcome a new contender into the heavyweight division in the form of the undefeated Ben Tynan. With an unblemished record, all of Tynan’s wins have come via finishes. He has the potential to be a real stand-out on the roster since there are high hopes for the 29-year-old Team Elevation fighter.

Following the announcement of his signing to ONE Championship in August, fans have been excited to get their first glimpse of Tynan and he will certainly be tested in his first appearance.

Ahead of a huge opportunity to spoil the Canadian’s debut, Kang Ji Won reflected on his own path to martial arts and how this journey started in the first place.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the 28-year-old spoke about how he gravitated towards physical activity over athletics which eventually led him to take care of his own health:

“I never really liked studying in school. Academics weren’t for me. I liked to be outside playing and running around, which is why I got into our sport. I started to exercise in high school to lose weight.”

After exercising due to necessity and health over anything else, he quickly found himself deeply invested in self-improvement and athletic activity which eventually led him into martial arts:

“I liked going to internet cafes to play games, but I think exercise and working out was a good fit for me, so I gravitated more toward it and got into it more and more.”

ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade on Prime Video will air live in US primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.