Lim Su-jeong

Lim Su-Jeong (, born ) is a former South Korean female Muay Thai kickboxer. She competes professionally since 2004 and is a former Southern Thailand Middleweight and South Korea Muay Thai Bantamweight Champion. Her good looks earned her the nickname Beautiful Fighter.

Kickboxing career Lim was born on in Seoul, South Korea. She started to train in Muay Thai for dieting when she was a high school student. She would be a quick learner, winning the South Korea Muay Thai Bantamweight title and the South Korean promotion Neo Fight Championship in 2006. At the age of 22, she went to Thailand for several months to practice Muay Thai. Here, she had success on the amateur circuit as well, winning bronze at the IMFA World Muaythai Championships 2007 held in Bangkok.

Lim then went on to have a very good 2009. Debuting in K-1, on , she faced and defeated future shoot boxing champion Rena Kubota by split decision after an extra round. She followed it up with her third professional title - winning the Southern Thailand Middleweight title by outpointing Sowlor from Thailand. There was some disappointment, however, when she lost in an upset in her debut in shoot boxing. During the quarterfinals of Girls S-Cup 2009, on , Lim, one of the favorites to win the cup, lost via unanimous decision against mixed martial artist Mei Yamaguchi, who was the eventual runner-up.

She closed 2009 by winning the King of the Ring Grand Prix at the event The Khan 2, held on in South Korea. Lim first defeated Czech Alena Hola by unanimous decision after three rounds, and next she defeated fellow South Korean Woo Yeon Park also by decision to win the championship belt.

Lim was given the chance to fight for a world title on May 28, 2011, taking on Christine Theiss for the WKA fullcontact World Middleweight Championship. In front of Theiss's hometown crowd she lost a close decision.

Flames Sports Competition incident Lim, who gained fame as the first Korean woman to compete in the K-1 mixed martial arts circuit, appeared on the TBS variety show *Flame Sports Club TV 2001*—broadcast on July 3, 2011—where she faced three Japanese male comedians in a three-round match. The program features competitions between female sports stars and male comedians that resemble real, full-contact fights. Her first opponent was Toshiaki Kasuga (32), a former college rugby player who had also competed in the K-1 tournament in 2007. Just eight seconds into the match, Lim was knocked down after being struck by consecutive knee strikes and low kicks from Kasuga, who outweighed her by 30 kilograms. As the situation grew serious, production staff halted filming during the first round. Lim explained, "I was angry at the sudden attack and considered quitting the shoot," adding, "but I gritted my teeth and continued because I thought stopping midway would only lead to worse injuries." The other participants, Hiroshi Shinagawa (39) and Koji Imada (45), also launched indiscriminate attacks on Lim that bordered on a beating. She was at a disadvantage compared to the male fighters; unlike them, she wore no protective headgear and used relatively oversized gloves. A representative from Lim's agency stated, "During our initial meetings with the broadcaster, we were told it was just a show and that there would be no strikes to the face." They continued, "However, contrary to that agreement, the match turned into a real fight right from the first round. We were shocked, so we stopped filming and lodged a protest with the broadcaster." However, Lim decided to continue the match, stating, "Even if the broadcaster lied, I cannot quit the game as a professional athlete." Ultimately, her condition worsened—including a tear in the inner muscle of her left shin—leaving her in need of two months of treatment; she had already been suffering from a leg injury at the time she was recruited for the event. This incident motivated the South Korean comedian, Hyung Bin Yoon, to become a professional MMA fighter. His debut in 2014 at the event, Road FC 014, was themed as a revenge match for Lim's incident in 2011. Yoon's opponent, Takaya Tsukuda, was billed as a Japanese ultranationalist fighter. Yoon defeated his Japanese opponent by TKO (via punches) in the first round.

Outside sports Aside from kickboxing and Muay Thai, Lim, who is nicknamed Beautiful Fighter because of her good looks, works as an actress as a side job. She appeared in TV series in South Korea and in the Thai martial arts film Chocolate.

Titles

Professional 2009 King of the Ring Grand Prix Champion 2008 Southern Thailand Middleweight Champion 2006 South Korea Muay Thai Bantamweight Champion 2006 Neo Fight Bantamweight Champion 2004 Rookie of the year of the Korean Muaythai Association

Amateur 2007 IFMA World Muaythai Championships in Bangkok, Thailand Bronze -54 kg

Kickboxing record

Mixed martial arts record Win

Emiko Raika Decision (unanimous) Revolution 2: Start of the Revolution

Seoul, South Korea Filmography Film Year Title Role Note Reference 2008 Chocolate Club fighters