Road FC 79: Solovyov vs. Park Si-won tops Nov. 1 card in Seoul

The Road FC 79 main event pairs two fighters who have spent most of the past two years trying to get back on track. Artur Solovyov and Park Si-won meet at 72 kg, and for both a loss would be costly.

Solovyov reached the final of Road FC's 2024 global 70 kg tournament with a jumping-knee KO of Park Hye-jin and a guillotine finish of Shin Dong-guk. He never fought Kamil Magomedov in the final. Road FC said his camp demanded a large purse increase, while Solovyov said on social media that Road FC told him he would not fight the final without signing for the next year. Magomedov went on to take the title, and Solovyov has not fought since beating Shin, a gap of two years and one month.

Park Si-won was due to meet Solovyov in the semifinal but broke his hand beating Captain Africa. A re-booked semifinal fell through when a herniated disc stopped him. A welterweight return ended in a comeback KO loss to Yun Tae-yun, his first pro defeat. He moved back to lightweight, stopped Vanderson Ferreira in round two in March, then lost a decision to Magomedov in May at 73 kg. Park told Rank5 he believes he would have won that fight without the weight penalty, that Magomedov refused a rematch, and that he is confident he will make weight this time. He also says that if things go to plan he wins by KO.

Below them, Shin Haraguchi, 27, meets Choi Eun-seok at featherweight. Haraguchi lost to Iriskeldi Duishev at Road FC 75 in December. Choi is 5-1 as a pro with three KOs and lost his opening bout at the Asian Games in September. He says the grappling drilled for that event gives him confidence, and wants to be the first Korean to beat Haraguchi. He told MMAPLANET, "Haraguchi's grappling is very boring" (translated).

In the women's atomweight bout, Park Seo-young, who lost a title fight to Park Jeong-eun in May, faces Serina Wada, who beat Jeong Min-ji in 45 seconds on her Road FC debut. Park says she will finish Wada in round one or two and wants to go to Rizin in 2027 after Road FC's December atomweight tournament, aiming at Kate Lotus.

The fights have yet to happen. Watch whether Choi's wrestling holds up against Haraguchi, and whether Solovyov looks sharp after the long layoff.