Broadcaster Yoon Hyung-bin and YouTuber Ban-zu will face off in a martial arts match with their YouTube channels on the line.
On the afternoon of the 26th, a press conference was held at the Emerald Hall of the Swiss Grand Hotel in Hong-eun-dong, Seoul, for Yoon Hyung-bin and Ban-zu, who will compete at 'Gubne ROAD FC 073' on June 28 at the Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul.
This match was arranged at Ban-zu's request. Ban-zu made his martial arts debut last November at the Fighter 100 event hosted by Kwon Ah-sol. The day before the match, during the weigh-in, Ban-zu said, "I suddenly thought of Yoon Hyung-bin. I wanted to learn martial arts for just a year and then step into the ring with Yoon Hyung-bin," expressing his desire to compete against Yoon Hyung-bin. After winning his debut match, he reiterated, "The biggest goal for starting to exercise was to see the event match champion, Yoon Hyung-bin. I want to challenge him."
Yoon Hyung-bin posted on social media, "First of all, congratulations on the victory," without mentioning the match. Ban-zu did not stop there and expressed his desire to compete again at Gubne ROAD FC 071 held last December, saying, "I want to have a proper match with you, hyung." Yoon Hyung-bin responded, "The representatives of Fighter 100 and the president of Road FC offered me a fight money that is lower than that of Jeong Chan-sung but higher than that of Choi Doo-ho," and accepted the challenge, adding, "I heard that Ban-zu is currently undergoing treatment for an injury, but once he recovers, I will fight him with all my might."
On that day, Yoon Hyung-bin said, "I saw someone who was either Ban-zu or BMW, and it turned out to be a YouTuber. To take this seriously, you have to be on the edge. I wasn't even thinking about competing when I was called out first, so I said if you're ready, let's do it. He said he would. I have 20,000 YouTube subscribers, and he has 2 million. There was no reason not to do it."
He continued, "Nevertheless, considering my age and the fact that I was contemplating, the president of Road FC, who has been close to martial arts for over 20 years, offered me an attractive amount that I have never heard of a fighter receiving as fight money," explaining why he accepted the match.
Previously, in response to Ban-zu's call, Yoon Hyung-bin stated, "The representatives of Fighter 100 and the president of Road FC offered me a fight money that is lower than that of Jeong Chan-sung but higher than that of Choi Doo-ho," and accepted the challenge, saying, "I heard that Ban-zu is currently undergoing treatment for an injury, but once he recovers, I will fight him with all my might."
According to Yoon Hyung-bin, the fight money is expected to be in the millions, and he indirectly mentioned, "I think it might be worth about the price of a large foreign sedan."
Yoon Hyung-bin also stated, "The reason for setting a long preparation period until the match is that this is my retirement match. I want to decorate my last record with a victory. I know that Ban-zu broke his left hand and had a metal plate inserted in the last match. I want to tell him to be prepared to have a metal plate on his face in this match," provoking Ban-zu.
The stakes of their match are not just about fight money. The existence of their YouTube channels is also at stake. Yoon Hyung-bin set the condition for accepting the match to delete the YouTube channel, which Ban-zu accepted. Ban-zu currently has 2.04 million subscribers, while Yoon Hyung-bin has 20,000 subscribers.
It is difficult to quantify the value of a YouTube channel with 2 million subscribers, but in the past, the channel Shin Sa-im-dang, which had 1.82 million subscribers, was sold for 2 billion won, and although it was not sold, Sampro TV, which has 202,000 subscribers, was valued at 1 trillion won.
Why did he accept such a risky game? Ban-zu said, "Yoon Hyung-bin suggested a channel deletion match, and I felt that I couldn't do it otherwise, and I wanted to show my sincerity. My mind was shaken during the three-hour drive home, but since I said it, I thought I would fight with my life on the line."
He added, "The winning probability is a bit in favor of the hyung because he is older, but I think he has experience. I think it's about 52 to 48 in my favor, as long as I don't lose."
When asked if he was using martial arts because his recent YouTube channel's mukbang videos weren't getting many views, he replied, "That's right," acknowledging it. However, he also stated, "If I only dipped my toes in martial arts to use it briefly, I would deserve to be criticized. But while I am trying to use it, I want to catch both rabbits. Right now, I feel like I've dipped my waist in, and I think I will immerse my whole body."
Ban-zu showed his determination in a unique way. He said, "Even if you tell me to fight right now, I can do it. I am always ready. I always wear my fighting gear. I came wearing it today," and suddenly stood up and performed an unexpected act of pulling down his pants. He then clarified, "It's not underwear; it's my fighting gear. I'm thinking, do I really need to wait for my left hand to recover?" showing his confidence that he will not lose.
In response, Yoon Hyung-bin shook his head and said, "Suddenly pulling down your pants and doing this... This is why that channel should be closed. I will make sure that such vulgar acts cannot happen again. Why are you suddenly pulling down your pants?" causing laughter.
Yoon Hyung-bin is expected to showcase the best match in this fight. He emphasized, "The last match was so boring that I can't even lift my head. This time, no matter who falls, I will do my best to fight with all my spirit."
He added, "Yesterday, I met senior Kim Guk-jin because of a recording, and I couldn't bear to look him in the face. After seeing me get beaten in the last match, Kim Guk-jin and Lee Kyung-kyu told me, 'Just say there are no more matches.' But I couldn't tell them in advance (that I would be fighting), and I want to apologize and say that this will be my last match."
The match between Yoon Hyung-bin and Ban-zu will take place on June 28 at the Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
