“Nice fight”: BTS’ Jung Kook finally spars with legendary MMA fighter Choo Sung-hoon

It seems that BTS' Jung Kook went ahead with MMA fighter Choo Sung-hoon's invitation for a sparring session. On June 29, the latter posted a photo and video of his meetup with the K-pop idol and a caption with purple hearts saying,

Choo Sung-hoon, aka Yoshihiro Akiyama, is a legendary mixed martial arts fighter. He won gold for South Korea and Japan in the 2001 Asian Championships and 2002 Asian Games, respectively.

A few months ago in April, the MMA fighter commented on Jung Kook's boxing video asking for "a sparring session next time." The invitation became quite the rage on the internet too.

MMA fighter Choo Sung-hoon posts photos and videos with BTS' Jung Kook

Famous MMA fighter Choo Sung-hoon had a friendly sparring session with BTS' youngest member, Jung Kook. The 24-year-old K-pop idol is the only member who loves boxing and never shied away from sharing videos of the same on his Instagram (until he deleted all his Instagram posts for a new layout).

On June 29, Choo Sung-hoon, known for his incredible success as one of the top MMA fighters, posted a video and photo with the youngest BTS member.

For people who aren't fans of wrestling, Choo Sung-hoon is known for his appearance on the family reality show, The Return of Superman, where fathers take care of their children for a few days.

In the photo, both icons posed with a thumbs-up sign and a big smile. In the video, Cho Sung-hoon hugged the BTS member with open arms as the countdown timer signified the end of the sparring session.

The duo was wearing headgear and gloves. The hug suggested that the K-pop idol had fun showing off his moves and talent to the professional artist.

Fans had the best reaction to another aspect that might have gone unnoticed by many. During practice, the Euphoria singer sported apple hair - bangs tied to the top of the head, making it look like an apple.

One fan made an edit showcasing how different versions of the Golden Maknae - real life, animated, and even his BT21 character - all stayed true to boxing. Another fan commented that their two favorite worlds, the variety show The Return of Superman and BTS, collided.

The invitation came about when Jung Kook's trainer posted boxing videos. Choo Sung-hoon commented on one of the videos, saying,

Later, Choo Sung-hoon, via Twitter, shared that the BTS singer read the article and replied jokingly that he would die. As both the artists had expressed their desire to have a sparring season, it seems that the duo had a great time when they finally met.

Meanwhile, BTS' Jung Kook recently collaborated with Charlie Puth on his latest pop song Left and Right. The track, with its music video, was released nearly a week ago, on June 24.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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