Is Hamderlei the best atomweight in the world right now?
Seo Hee Ham dropped back down to her natural weight class after her UFC stint ended, and it is at atomweight where she has continued to shine. She won the Road FC belt last June, and Saturday night in Korea, she took on a former Invicta title challenger and top ranked 105’er in Jinh Yu Frey.
The bout had significant implications on the division, and “Hamderlei” made sure to leave a quick and clear impression as she dispatched of Jinh Yu in one round. With a thunderous left hand, the Korean champion flattened the former Invicta star and made a stellar case to be known as the best atomweight in the world.
Seo Hee Ham KOs Jinh Yu in 1R (Road FC) pic.twitter.com/j8jwLK81PS
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) December 23, 2017
Former Invicta title holder Ayaka Hamasaki is quite possibly in the same conversation as well, but she has since vacated her belt and moved up a division, likely leaving Ham at the very top of the ladder for now.
Road FC 45 was a continuation of the promotion’s ‘XX’ series that featured an all-female main card. That line up saw Destanie Yarbrough pick up a decision win, and former pro-wrestling star Yoshiko take her first loss in MMA.
On the prelims, popular super-heavyweight Chris “Huggy Bear” Barnett showed off his athletic moves and taekwondo kicks, while talented prospect Rafael Fiziev remained undefeated and picked up a TKO win as well.
Watch the entire event, along with highlights and full results below:
ROAD FC 45: XX Results
Ham Seo-Hee def Jinh Yu Frey by TKO, R1 4:40 [Atomweight title]
Kim Young-Ji def Yoshiko by Unanimous Decision
Lim So-Hee def Araki Miki by Unanimous Decision
Destanie Yarbrough def Begimzhan Kasymova by Unanimous Decision
Ramona Pascual def Jin Seo-Woo by Unanimous Decision
Prelims / Young Guns 38
Rafael Fiziev def Nandin-Erdene by TKO, R1 0:58
that head kick
Rafael Fiziev TKOs Nandin-Erdene in about 1 minute (Road) pic.twitter.com/dH25jwjbOH— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) December 23, 2017
Ki Won-Bin def Iwata Keisuke by Submission, back choke, R1 2:09
Chris Barnett def Shim Gun-Oh by TKO, R2 3:33
Chris Barnett TKOd Shim Gun-Oh in 2R – HL (Road) pic.twitter.com/sA1veXnCFE
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) December 23, 2017
Hwang In-Su def Park Jung-Kyo by TKO, 0:11
Kim Yi-Sack def Seo Dong-Soo by Unanimous Decision