Lim Hyun-Gyu (born January 16, 1985), often anglicized to Hyun Gyu Lim, is a South Korean

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

, who formerly competed in the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

division.

Mixed martial arts career

Biography and early career

He first experienced martial arts when he was 13 years old training in

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

, and started training in

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

in his midteens. But these trainings were just as hobbies. So later he felt eagerness to pursue martial arts as a professional. After finishing a mandatory military service in his country, he was scouted by the head coach of his current team while training in his boxing gym. After only three months scouted, Lim made his professional MMA debut in February 2006 in the Spirit MC promotion in his native

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. Over the next few years, he also fought for the Heat,

DEEP Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with othe ...

and Pacific Xtreme Combat promotions. After beating Ryan Biglar at the PXC 32 event in July 2012, he became the PXC welterweight champion.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In August 2012, the

announced that they had signed Lim. Lim was originally set to make his UFC debut against Marcelo Guimarães on November 10, 2012 at

UFC on Fuel TV 6 ''UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le'' (also known as ''UFC on Fuel TV 6'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 10, 2012, at the Macau, SAR, China. It was the first UFC event held in China. Backgr ...

. However, Guimarães was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by David Mitchell. Then, just prior to the weigh in for the event, the bout was scrapped after Lim was declared medically unfit to compete by UFC doctors. Lim vs. Guimarães was then rescheduled for March 3, 2013 at

UFC on Fuel TV 8 ''UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann'' (also known as ''UFC on Fuel TV 8'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 3, 2013, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background The main event was a li ...

. Lim was successful in his debut, winning via KO in the second round. Lim faced

Pascal Krauss Pascal "Panzer" Krauss (born April 19, 1987) is a retired German mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). His German nickname translates to 'tank' in English. Early life and educ ...

on August 31, 2013 at

UFC 164 ''UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 31, 2013, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Background The main event was expected to be a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between the c ...

. He defeated Krauss by KO with a knee and follow up punches in the first round. The win also earned Lim his first ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Lim was expected to face

Kiichi Kunimoto is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based ...

on January 4, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 34 ''UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 34'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 4, 2014, at the Marina Bay Sands in Marina Bay, Singapore. Background This event was the first event the UFC held in S ...

. However, in late November, event headliner

Jake Ellenberger Jacob Steven "Jake" Ellenberger (born March 28, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former United States Marine who was known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor from 2005–2018, ...

pulled out of the event citing an injury and Lim stepped up to face Tarec Saffiedine in the main event. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Despite the loss on the scorecards, the bout brought Lim his second consecutive ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Lim next faced Takenori Sato on September 20, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 52 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 52'') was a mixed martial arts event held on September 20, 2014, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background The event was the third time that the organization hoste ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Lim faced

Neil Magny Aoutneil "Neil" Jacques Magny (born August 3, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2010, Magny ...

on May 16, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 66 ''UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 66'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 16, 2015, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. Background The event was the first that the organization has hosted ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Lim was expected to face Dominique Steele on November 28, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 79 ''UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 79'') was a mixed martial arts event held on November 28, 2015, at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea. Background The event was the first that the organizati ...

. However, Lim pulled out of the fight in the week leading up to the event and was replaced by promotional newcomer Dong Hyun Kim. Lim was expected to face Sultan Aliev on August 20, 2016 at

UFC 202 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. However, Aliev pulled out of the fight in early August citing a wrist injury. Lim faced promotional newcomer Mike Perry. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Lim faced

Daichi Abe is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the Welterweight division. He is the current DEEP Welterweight Champion. A professional mixed martial artist since 2016, he has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was also the Wel ...

UFC Fight Night 117 ''UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 117'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 23, 2017 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background The ...

on September 23, 2017. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. On October 23, 2018, it was reported that Lim was released from UFC.

Double G FC

On November 18, 2018, Lim faced Igor Svirid at Double G FC's inaugural event in

Seoul, South Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 o ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

* Pacific Xtreme Combat ** PXC Welterweight Championship (One time) *

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** Fight of the Night (Two times) * MMAJunkie.com ** 2014 January Fight of the Month vs. Tarec Saffiedine

Mixed martial arts record

, Win , align=center, 14–7–1 , Igor Svirid , Decision (unanimous) , Double G FC 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

, South Korea , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–7–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–6–1 , Mike Perry , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:24 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people. Due to its location j ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4–1 , Takenori Sato , TKO (elbows) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4–1 , Tarec Saffiedine , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Marina Bay, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3–1 ,

, KO (knee and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 ,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3–1 , Marcelo Guimarães , KO (knee and punches) , UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3–1 , Ryan Biglar , Submission (guillotine choke) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 32 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:53 ,

Mangilao Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has decreased slightly since the island's 2010 census. Cliffs lie along much of the village's shoreline provide dramatic views, including ...

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3–1 , Takahiro Kawanaka , TKO (corner stoppage) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3–1 , Ferrid Kheder , TKO (punches) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3–1 , Ross Ebanez , TKO (punches) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 26 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 ,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3–1 , Slade Adelbai , TKO (punches) , Rites of Passage 8: Fearless , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:10 , Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3–1 , Dmitry Samoilov , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 12: USA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2–1 , Max Fernandez , Submission (Achilles lock) , Heat 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1–1 , Brandon Magana , Submission (armbar) , M-1 Challenge 6: Korea , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:58 , South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1–1 , Noboru Onishi , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Deep: 35 Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:48 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1–1 , Lucio Linhares , KO (punch) , M-1 Challenge 2: Russia , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 , St.Petersburg, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1–1 , Hiroshi Masabuchi , TKO (punches) , Heat 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:47 ,

Aichi is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1–1 ,

Greg Soto Gregory Francis Soto (born June 3, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist. Soto is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , George Sullivan , KO (punch) , CFFC 14 , , align=center, 1 ...

, Submission (armbar) , World Best Fighter: USA vs. Asia , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:58 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 1–0–1 , Jick-Yong Kim , Draw , Spirit MC: Interleague 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Seong-Yeol Ahn , Decision (unanimous) , Spirit MC: Interleague 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, South Korea ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lim, Hyun-Gyu 1985 births Living people Sportspeople from Seoul South Korean male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Ssireum Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters South Korean male taekwondo practitioners South Korean ssireum practitioners