Junyong Park talks about South Korea's Halloween stampede tragedy

South Korean fighter Junyong Park had very little to celebrate after his victory at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen. Moments before his fight, Park learned about the tragic Halloween stampede that befell his home country.

South Korea Halloween stampede: Death toll rises to at least 146, with 150 injured str.sg/wjSc #Itaewon #Halloween https://t.co/gDIWZQ0k1v

Seoul's biggest Halloween celebration in years took a disastrous turn after 151 partygoers died in a stampede on Saturday. According to reports, the casualties occurred when a large crowd pushed forward in the narrow alleys of Itaewon – a popular nightlife district in Seoul.

Park addressed the issue during his post-fight interview. The UFC fighter sent out his thoughts and prayers to the victims:

"I'm happy with the win, but I'm not happy overall because there was a tragedy in [South] Korea not too long ago. Obviously, my thoughts and prayers are with the Korean people now and I'd like to get home."

The 31-year-old middleweight also admitted that he could not get the tragedy out of his mind during his fight:

"When I first heard about it, I thought it was a prank or something. We still don't know what's going on. I really tried to concentrate, it was right before the fight. But if I'm being honest with myself I was a little bit... I don't wanna say distracted, but my mind was obviously in two different places."

Watch Junyong Park's interview below:

“My thoughts and prayers are with the Korean people.”Junyong Park fought with a heavy heart following the news of the crowd crush in South Korea and was able to pick up a submission win.See every result from #UFCVegas63 here ➡️: ufc.com/news/ufc-fight…

Junyong Park vs. Joseph Holmes

Junyong Park earned his second back-to-back win with a dominant showing against Joseph Holmes at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen.

The combatants traded jabs and leg kicks as they tried to find their rhythm in the first round. Park took on the role of aggressor as he pushed the pace, but Holmes landed the heavier shots.

Park eventually secured a successful takedown and tried to create openings for a rear-naked choke. However, Holmes kept his defenses up, preventing his opponent from completing a submission.

The South Korean applied more pressure to start the second round. This time around Park found more success as he secured a mount position, forcing Holmes on the defensive.

The Iron Turtle dominates his way to victory! 🐢Junyong Park locks in the second round sub at #UFCVegas63 https://t.co/EaEXD606VT

Park soon took his foe's back and found himself in a similar position to what he had in the first round. He then softened his Holmes' guard with a few strikes before snaking his arm around the neck to lock in the choke and force the tap.

Edited by Virat Deswal

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