Champion of Ssirum, the national folk wrestling competition, Lee Tae-hyun will debut in Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships.

In a news conference Tuesday in Seoul, Lee officially announced his debut in Japan’s premier mixed martial arts competition.

The former ssirum champion who won the top title three times.

The 30-year-old Lee has been a star of the ssirum scene since his debut in 1993 with four hundred-72 wins and one hundred-58 losses.