The power of social media has brought the BTS Army and ONE Championship together.
In April, BTS member Jungkook was seen hitting the mitts with a trainer. The video quickly captured the attention of South Korean-Japanese martial arts legend Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama.
"Sexyama" extended an invitation to Jungkook for a training session, and the BTS star replied with apprehension. However, the invitation was accepted, and after a few months, the two finally met in the gym.
Akiyama posted a photo and video of the two together on his Instagram page.
The video shows the two superstars wearing boxing gloves and headgear during a sparring session before taking time to hug it out, with Akiyama writing a caption complimenting Jungkook's work.
The comment section was filled with love and affirmation from the fervent BTS Army, but it also captured the attention of ONE's South Korean contingent as well with "The Big Heart" Yoon Chang Min chiming into the comments.
The meeting of the two stars continues to show the incredible growth of the sport in South Korea. ONE Championship has been at the forefront with stars such as Akiyama, Ham Seo Hee, and ONE Lightweight World Champion Ok Rae Yoon.
Following ONE X in March, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong mentioned that a future event in Seoul is in the company's plans.
"Yeah, I love Korea that we have a Korean champion in Ok Rae Yoon. Yeah, so I think that's a very big possibility. Some of the cities we'd like to go back this year are Bangkok, Manila, Tokyo, you know to name a few, Seoul, so those are a few we have our eyes on," said Sityodtong.
With the new friendship, may the BTS Army descend upon a future ONE event in Seoul?
