Playful Junyong Park Aims to Keep Improving

“I don’t want to make it seem like I’m the master or above anyone,” said Park, who carries a three-fight winning streak into Saturday’s event. “I want to continue showing good performances and grow from that, with them growing with me.”

There are cliches and adages about rising tides and leading by example that could be shared here, but they would fall hollow and fail to genuinely address the “permanent student” approach that Park adheres to when it comes to his professional pursuits.

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While it’s clear from his recent outings that the Korean Top Team representative has been making strides in the gym and parlaying those gains into consistent positive results inside the Octagon, the man himself remains ever humble, thinking about the areas where he can still continue to improve rather than reveling in the victories that have him on the cusp of cracking the middleweight Top 15.

“I still have a lot more to go. I still consider myself an amateur fighter at the moment,” Park said when asked about how his latest successes have impacted his self-belief and confidence when he steps int the Octagon. “I still feel I have lot more to go. I still feel like I haven’t shown my full potential with my skills.

“I want my last fight to be such a great performance that it’s like a well-oiled machine,” he added. “I want people to think, ‘How does he fight like that?’ and to be very calculated.”

Park may feel like he still has tons to learn and numerous areas where he can improve, but, as of late, the results have been pretty impressive.

Last May, he landed on the happy side of a split decision verdict with divisional stalwart Eryk Anders, following it up with a second-round submission win over Joseph Holmes where he showed off his dangerous and aggressive grappling skills. Then, in February, the Seoul native ran his winning streak to three by collecting a first-round submission win over Denis Tiuliulin, setting up this weekend’s matchup with Duraev in the penultimate bout of the evening.

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Opportunities to compete later in the card are frequently viewed as a badge of honor — a sign that you’re moving your way up the rankings and someone the promotion wants to make sure the maximum number of fans are going to get a chance to see compete inside the Octagon.

But, for Park, it’s a mild annoyance and something he feels works against one of his potential advantages.

“I really hate being the co-main event; I like fighting really early and getting it over with,” he said, laughing, when asked about setting the table for Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva on Saturday night.

When pressed as to why he feels this way, the streaking fighter pulled back the curtain a little more.

“I don’t cut much weight, so I feel that having a shorter time period to gain weight back between the weigh-ins and the fight (is an advantage) because I feel comfortable (right away),” he admitted. “I could fight an hour after weigh ins.”

In a sport where athletes are searching for every edge they can find, a narrower window between weighing in and stepping into the Octagon is one that is wholly out of the control of the competitors, but it also hasn’t really impacted Park much lately.

He’s been in “fine fettle,” as UFC broadcaster John Gooden would say, and aims to maintain that form through Saturday’s matchup with Duraev.

A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of 2020, the 34-year-old Russian has struggled to find consistency in the UFC cage thus far, alternating results through his first three fights, with each of his victories coming in closely contested battles that went the distance.

“I feel like Duraev is a well-rounded UFC fighter,” began Park, offering his assessment on the man he meets this weekend. “His striking, his ground, his wrestling — I have to watch out for all of it. What do you think about Albert Duraev?”

The grin on his face after turning the question around made it clear why the man nicknamed “The Iron Turtle” identified the carefree, nunchuck-wielding Michelangelo as his favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Despite the language barrier, it was abundantly clear that Park, like Mikey, has a playful, joking side, and after hearing me politely compliment his opponent’s skills and suggest it seems like a favorable matchup for him, it shone through again.

“You’re just saying good things about me now;” he said with a cackle. “When you talk to Duraev you will say the same things about him.”

Everyone laughed, and when I told him that I didn’t have to interview Duraev, but meant every word I said, the humble joker wrapped things up perfectly.

“I don’t even believe myself,” he said, offering a self-deprecating close to what is usually a moment where competitors sing their own praises and forecast doom for their opponents.

Underneath the playfulness and humility rests an improving fighter, one whose confidence grows with each victory, even if he is reticent to admit it.