Soo Chul Kim
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Kim Soo-chul (Korean: 김수철; born December 10, 1991), anglicized as Soo Chul Kim, is a South Korean professional mixed martial artist, and submission grappler. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of Road FC, where he is the former Road FC Bantamweight Champion, and Road FC Featherweight Champion. He is the first fighter in Road FC history to win a championship in two different weight divisions. He formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of ONE FC, where he was the inaugural ONE FC Bantamweight Champion. He also competed for RIZIN, Bellator MMA, and Rising On, where he was their featherweight champion.
Background and early life
Kim was born on December 10, 1991, in Wonju, Gangwon-do, South Korea. He started training in Taekwondo and Boxing around the age of 15, while attending Wonju Technical High School.
Mixed martial arts career
Amateur career
Before turning professional in 2010 at the age of 19, Kim had one amateur mixed martial arts fight. He faced Jang Hwa-seung at Neo Fight - Challengers 2, on July 25, 2009. He won the fight by submission in the first round via armbar.
Early career
Kim made his professional MMA debut at Rising On 3 - Dynamic, facing Yasuhiro Kanayama. He won the fight in the first round due to an armbar, and he won the promotion’s vacant featherweight championship.
Soo faced Kim Hyo-ryeong, at Road FC 001: The Resurrection of Champions, on October 23 of 2010. He won the fight in the first round by submission, via guillotine choke.
Kim fought So Jae-hyun at Road FC 002: Alive, on April 16, 2011. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Kim faced Andrew Leone at PRO Fighting 5 - Still Standing, on July 17, 2011. He lost the fight in the first round via submission, due to a guillotine choke.
Soo faced Kenta Nakamura at Road FC 003: Explosion, on July 24, 2011. He won via unanimous decision.
Inaugural ONE FC stint
Chul made his ONE FC debut against Leandro Issa at ONE FC: Champion vs. Champion, on September 3, 2011. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Kim faced Gustavo Falciroli at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes, on February 11 of 2012. He lost the fight in the first round via rear-naked choke submission.
Second stint at Road FC
Soo fought Moon Jae-hoon at Road FC 007: Recharged, on March 24, 2012. He lost the fight, by unanimous decision.
Kim faced Shōkō Satō at Road FC 008: Final 4 Bitter Rivals, on June 16 of 2012, in his hometown of Wonju. He won the fight in the fourth round via TKO, due to a doctor’s stoppage.
Return to ONE FC
Kim returned to ONE FC, facing Kevin Belingon at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation, on August 31, 2012. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
ONE FC Bantamweight Championship
Chul faced Leandro Issa in a rematch for the inaugural ONE FC Bantamweight Championship at ONE FC: Rise of Kings, on October 6, 2012. He won the fight in the second round via TKO to punches, and thus became the inaugural champion.
Losing the title
Kim made his first defense of the ONE FC bantamweight title by facing former DREAM two-division champion and multiple-time BJJ world champion Bibiano Fernandes, in ONE FC: Total Domination, on October 18 of 2013. He lost the fight via unanimous decision, losing the title in the process.
Third stint at Road FC
Kim returned to Road FC for a third time, fighting Motonobu Tezuka at Road FC 014, on February 9, 2014. He won the fight via TKO to punches in the first round.
Soo fought Issei Tamura at Road FC 015, on May 31 of 2014, in his hometown of Wonju. He won the fight via submission due to a guillotine choke in the first round.
Kim faced Wagner Campos at Road FC 021, on February 1, 2015. He won the fight via TKO to a flying knee and punches in the first round.
Soo fought Taiyo Nakahara at Road FC 024, on July 25, 2025. He won the fight via submission due to a guillotine choke in the first round.
Kim faced Marlon Sandro at Road FC 025, on August 22 of 2015. Soo and Marlon fought to a unanimous draw.
RIZIN debut
Kim faced Maike Linhares in his RIZIN debut at RIZIN World Grand Prix 2015: Part 2 - Iza, on December 31, 2015. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Kim faced Marcus Brimage at Road FC 029, on March 12, 2016. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Soo fought Zhumabek Tursyn at Road FC 032, on July 2, 2016. He won the fight via TKO due to punches in the second round.
Kim faced Shunichi Shimizu at Road FC 035, on December 10, 2016. He won the fight via submission due to an armbar in the second round.
ROAD FC Bantamweight Championship and retirement
Soo fought Kim Min-woo for the vacant ROAD FC Bantamweight Championship at Road FC 038, on April 15, 2017. He won the fight via unanimous decision, winning the title in the process. Kim emotionally celebrated with his parents, thanking them for being there for him, and he vowed to take care of them. At the 2017 Road FC Awards, he was named fighter of the year. Shortly after the induction, he retired, due to diagnosis of panic disorder. He relinquished the bantamweight title.
Return to MMA and fourth stint in Road FC
Kim was announced to return to MMA in the featherweight division of Road FC, facing Park Hae-jin for the vacant ROAD FC Featherweight Championship at Road FC 059, on September 4 of 2021. He lost the fight in the first round due to a guillotine choke, snapping a 8-fight winning streak inside the promotion.
Kim was set to face Park Hae-jin in an immediate rematch for the ROAD FC Featherweight Championship at Road FC 060, on May 14, 2022. He won the fight in the second round via TKO due to a head kick and punches, winning the featherweight title in the process. Kim was recognized as ROAD FC’s first ever double champion, as he held the bantamweight and featherweight straps.
Departure from Road FC and second stint in RIZIN
Kim signed to RIZIN in August of 2022, and he later vacated the featherweight title of ROAD FC.
Kim faced former Shooto two-division champion Hiromasa Ougikubo at RIZIN 38, on September 25, 2022. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Soo faced former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion and 4-division KOTC champion Juan Archuleta at Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN, on December 31, 2022. He lost the fight via split decision.
Fifth stint in Road FC
Kim faced Aleksey Indenko at Road FC 064 on June 24, 2023. He won the fight via submission in the first round, due to a guillotine choke.
Kim fought Bruno Azevedo at Road FC 065, on August 26 of 2023. He won by unanimous decision.
Kim faced Akira Haraguchi at Road FC 066, on October 29, 2023. He won the fight in the second round via KO, due to punches.
Stints between ROAD FC and RIZIN
Chul fought Taichi Nakajima at RIZIN 46, on April 29, 2024. He won the fight in the second round, via KO due to punches.
Kim faced Naoki Inoue at RIZIN 48 for the vacant RIZIN Bantamweight Championship, on September 29, 2024. He lost the fight in the first round via TKO, due to doctor’s stoppage.
Chul fought Kim Hyun-woo at Road FC 070, on October 27, 2024. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Kim fought Yang Ji-yong at Road FC 071, on December 29 of 2024. Originally ruled as a KO win for Yang in the first round, the fight was overturned to a no contest, following a review of the footage showing an illegal headbutt. Chul faced a Orbital bone fracture. He later had a surgery on his orbital bone, receiving two titanium plates in his surgery and recovering fully across 2025 and 2026.
Kim faced Shōkō Satō in a rematch at RIZIN World Series in Korea, on May 31, 2025. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Kim faced Yang Ji-yong in a stoked and hyped rematch at Road FC 076, on March 15, 2026. Originally a 3-round tournament final for the ROAD FC Global Bantamweight Tournament Championship, the fight went an extra round. Kim won the fight via unanimous decision, and won the tournament championship.
Personal life
Kim Soo-chul has been married to his spouse, Lee Go-eun since 2021, having a son in 2023. As he has expressed in interviews, he described himself as a man who would fulfill his duties as both a son and father.In his post-fight interviews after he won the ROAD FC Bantamweight Championship, he revealed that he would disobey his parents’ advice to not train MMA, secretly signing up for training and gyms across Wonju. He has considered Moon Hong-jung, his coach and owner of Road FC, as a “father figure” for himself, expressing his relationship with him in a YouTube video.
Championships and accomplishments
- Road Fighting Championship (ROAD FC) ROAD FC Bantamweight Championship (One time; former) ROAD FC Featherweight Championship (One time; former) 2026 ROAD FC Global Bantamweight Tournament Championship (One time; last)
- ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) ONE FC Bantamweight Championship (One time; inaugural)
- Rising On Fighting Championship (ROFC) Rising On Featherweight Championship (One time; former)
Mixed martial arts record
| 35 matches | 24 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 1 |
| By submission | 6 | 3 |
| By decision | 10 | 5 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 24–9–1 (1) | Yang Ji-yong | Decision (unanimous) | Road FC 076 | March 15, 2026 | 4 | 5:00 | Seoul, South Korea | Won the 2024 Road FC Bantamweight Tournament. |
| Loss | 23–9–1 (1) | Shōkō Satō | Decision (unanimous) | Rizin World Series in Korea | May 31, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Incheon, South Korea | |
| NC | 23–8–1 (1) | Yang Ji-yong | NC (overturned) | Road FC 71 | December 29, 2024 | 1 | 1:02 | Wonju, South Korea | 2024 Road FC Bantamweight Tournament Final. Originally a KO (punches) win for Yang; overturned after reviewing showed an accidental clash of heads. |
| Win | 23–8–1 | Kim Hyun-woo | Decision (unanimous) | Road FC 70 | October 27, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Wonju, South Korea | 2024 Road FC Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Loss | 22–8–1 | Naoki Inoue | TKO (punches) | Rizin 48 | September 29, 2024 | 1 | 3:55 | Saitama, Japan | For the vacant Rizin Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 22–7–1 | Taichi Nakajima | KO (punches) | Rizin 46 | April 29, 2024 | 2 | 0:06 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 21–7–1 | Akira Haraguchi | KO (punches) | Road FC 66 | October 29, 2023 | 2 | 4:25 | Wonju, South Korea | Won the 2023 Road FC Bantamweight Grand Prix. |
| Win | 20–7–1 | Bruno Azevedo | Decision (unanimous) | Road FC 65 | August 26, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Anyang, South Korea | 2023 Road FC Bantamweight Grand Prix Semifinal. |
| Win | 19–7–1 | Aleksey Indenko | Submission (guillotine choke) | Road FC 64 | June 24, 2023 | 1 | 0:55 | Wonju, South Korea | 2023 Road FC Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal. |
| Loss | 18–7–1 | Juan Archuleta | Decision (split) | Bellator MMA vs. Rizin | December 31, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 18–6–1 | Hiromasa Ougikubo | Decision (unanimous) | Rizin 38 | September 25, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | Return to Bantamweight. |
| Win | 17–6–1 | Park Hae-jin | KO (head kick and punches) | Road FC 60 | May 13, 2022 | 2 | 0:09 | Daejeon, South Korea | Won the Road FC Featherweight Championship. |
| Loss | 16–6–1 | Park Hae-jin | Submission (guillotine choke) | Road FC 59 | September 4, 2021 | 1 | 4:50 | Wonju, South Korea | Return to Featherweight. For the vacant Road FC Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 16–5–1 | Kim Min-woo | Decision (unanimous) | Road FC 38 | April 15, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Seoul, South Korea | Won the vacant Road FC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–5–1 | Shunichi Shimizu | Submission (armbar) | Road FC 35 | December 10, 2016 | 2 | 3:49 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Win | 14–5–1 | Zhumabek Tursyn | TKO (punches) | Road FC 32 | July 2, 2016 | 1 | 2:53 | Changsha, China | Featherweight bout. |
| Win | 13–5–1 | Marcus Brimage | Decision (unanimous) | Road FC 29 | March 12, 2016 | 1 | 2:53 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Win | 12–5–1 | Maike Linhares | Decision (unanimous) | Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 2 - Iza | December 31, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Draw | 11-5-1 | Marlon Sandro | Draw (unanimous) | Road FC 025 | August 22, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Wonju, South Korea | Featherweight bout. |
| Win | 11–5 | Taiyo Nakahara | Submission (guillotine choke) | Road FC 24 | July 25, 2015 | 1 | 4:38 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 10–5 | Wagner Campos | TKO (flying knee and punches) | Road FC 21 | February 1, 2015 | 1 | 2:18 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Win | 9–5 | Issei Tamura | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Road FC 15 | May 31, 2015 | 1 | 2:41 | Wonju, South Korea | |
| Win | 8–5 | Motonobu Tezuka | TKO (punches) | Road FC 14 | February 9, 2014 | 1 | 1:58 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Loss | 7–5 | Bibiano Fernandes | Decision (unanimous) | ONE FC: Total Domination | October 18, 2013 | 5 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | Lost the ONE Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–4 | Leandro Issa | TKO (punches) | ONE FC: Rise of Kings | October 6, 2012 | 2 | 0:15 | Kallang, Singapore | Won the inaugural ONE Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–4 | Kevin Belingon | Decision (unanimous) | ONE FC: Pride of a Nation | August 31, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Quezon City, Philippines | |
| Win | 5–4 | Shōkō Satō | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Road FC 8 | June 16, 2012 | 4 | 1:27 | Wonju, South Korea | |
| Loss | 4–4 | Moon Jae-hoon | Decision (unanimous) | Road FC 7 | March 24, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Loss | 4–3 | Gustavo Falciroli | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ONE FC: Battle of Heroes | February 11, 2012 | 1 | 1:12 | Jakarta, Indonesia | |
| Loss | 4-2 | Leandro Issa | Decision (unanimous) | ONE FC: Champion vs. Champion | September 3, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 4–1 | Kenta Nakamura | Decision (unanimous) | Road FC 3 | July 24, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Loss | 3–1 | Andrew Leone | Submission (guillotine choke) | PRO Fighting 5: Still Standing | July 17, 2011 | 1 | 0:28 | Taipei, Taiwan | |
| Win | 3–0 | So Jae-hyun | Decision (unanimous) | Road FC 2 | April 16, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Win | 2–0 | Kim Hyo-ryeong | Submission (guillotine choke) | Road FC 1 | October 23, 2010 | 1 | 3:10 | Seoul, South Korea | Bantamweight debut. |
| Win | 1–0 | Yasuhiro Kanayama | Submission (armbar) | Rising On 3 | August 8, 2010 | 1 | 4:43 | Takaishi, Japan | Featherweight debut. Won the ROFC Featherweight Championship. |
See also
- List of ONE Championship champions
- List of Road FC champions
- List of current Rizin Fighting Federation fighters
- List of Road FC fighters