Choi Mu-bae (Korean: 최무배, born June 27, 1970), often anglicised to Mu-bae Choi, is a South Korean former Heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler[2] and professional mixed martial artist. A professional since 2004, he has competed for World Victory Road, the PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1 Hero's, and Pancrase. He holds notable victories over UFC veterans Soa Palelei and Dave Herman.
| Choi Mu-bae | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 27, 1970 Busan, South Korea |
| Native name | 최무배 |
| Other names | The Heavy Tank of Busan,[1] Fuchinkan [2] |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) |
| Weight | 110.3 kg (243 lb; 17 st 5 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Style | MMA, Greco-roman wrestling, Hybrid martial arts |
| Team | Team Tackle KPW Korea |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 21 |
| Wins | 13 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling | ||
Representing  South Korea | ||
| 1991 Asian Wrestling Championships | ||
 | 1991 Asian Wrestling Championships | 100 kg |
Mixed martial arts
Choi made his mixed martial arts debut in 2004 at Pride FC when he defeated Yusuke Imamura, who was also a former wrestler.[3]
He has a professional MMA record of 11–4 as of May 2, 2015. Choi was scheduled to fight in K-1 Dynamite!! USA in Los Angeles against "Mighty" Mo Siliga on June 2, 2007. Choi however pulled out of the event for undisclosed reasons.
Choi debuted in Sengoku at the Sengoku 3 event on June 8, 2008, losing against the Brazilian fighter Marcio Cruz.[3]
As for his Japanese-language nickname Fuchin-kan, Fuchin means "unsinkable", and Kan simultaneously means "warship" and "[South] Korea".
Personal life
He was born in Busan, South Korea, on June 27, 1970.[3]
Mixed martial arts record
| 22 matches | 14 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 4 |
| By submission | 4 | 1 |
| By decision | 2 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 14–8 | Hye Seok Son | KO (punch) | AFC 19 | April 29, 2022 | 2 | 4:03 | Seoul, South Korea | Won AFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 13–8 | Kazuyuki Fujita | TKO (punches) | Road FC 050 | November 3, 2018 | 1 | 1:55 | Daejeon, South Korea | Openweight bout. |
| Win | 13–7 | Anding Ma | TKO (punches) | Road FC 049 | August 18, 2018 | 1 | 4:09 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Loss | 12–7 | Jake Heun | Decision (unanimous) | Road FC 27 | August 12, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Wonju, Gangwon Province, South Korea | |
| Loss | 12–6 | Mighty Mo | TKO (punches) | Road FC 27 | December 26, 2015 | 1 | 3:46 | Shanghai, China | ROAD FC Openweight Tournament Quarterfinals. |
| Loss | 12–5 | Mighty Mo | KO (punch) | Road FC 26 | October 9, 2015 | 1 | 0:37 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Win | 12–4 | Yusuke Kawaguchi | TKO (punches) | Road FC 24 | July 25, 2015 | 2 | 4:50 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 11–4 | Lucas Tani | TKO (punches) | Road FC 23 | May 2, 2015 | 1 | 1:45 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Win | 10–4 | Toyohiko Monma | KO (punch) | Revolution 1: The Return of Legend | March 23, 2013 | 1 | 0:26 | Seoul, South Korea | Openweight bout. |
| Loss | 9–4 | Yoshihiro Nakao | Decision (unanimous) | World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 9 | August 2, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 9–3 | Katsuhisa Fujii | Decision (unanimous) | Pancrase: Changing Tour 3 | June 7, 2009 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 8–3 | Dave Herman | TKO (punches) | World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku no Ran 2009 | January 4, 2009 | 2 | 2:22 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 7–3 | Márcio Cruz | Submission (triangle armbar) | World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 3 | June 8, 2008 | 1 | 4:37 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 7–2 | Gary Goodridge | KO (punch) | The Khan 1 | March 30, 2008 | 2 | N/A | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Win | 6–2 | Masayuki Kono | Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Pancrase: Blow 10 | December 12, 2006 | 2 | 1:36 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 5–2 | Sylvester Terkay | Decision (unanimous) | Hero's 2005 in Seoul | November 5, 2005 | 2 | 5:00 | Seoul, South Korea | Openweight bout. |
| Loss | 5–1 | Sergei Kharitonov | TKO (punches and knees) | PRIDE 29 | February 20, 2005 | 1 | 3:24 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 5–0 | Giant Silva | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | PRIDE Shockwave 2004 | December 31, 2004 | 1 | 5:47 | Saitama, Japan | Super Heavyweight bout; Mu-bae weighed in at 112.9 kg. |
| Win | 4–0 | Soa Palelei | Submission (rear-naked choke) | PRIDE 28 | October 24, 2004 | 2 | 4:55 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 3–0 | Murad Ammaev | TKO (suplex and punches) | Gladiator FC: Day 2 | June 27, 2004 | 1 | 0:18 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Win | 2–0 | Yoshihisa Yamamoto | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE Bushido 3 | May 23, 2004 | 2 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 1–0 | Yusuke Imamura | Submission (rear-naked choke) | PRIDE Bushido 2 | February 15, 2004 | 1 | 4:08 | Yokohama, Japan |
