UFC on ESPN+ 24: Edgar vs. Korean Zombie Full Preview

In 2019, UFC hosted 42 MMA events across the world. They touched down in well established markets like New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Brazil and more, but they also visited growing markets like Denmark, Mexico and Singapore. In the final event of the year, and decade, UFC heads to Korea for the second time in its history.

The country has a niche MMA market, including regional promotions like ROAD FC and Angel’s Fighting Championship. No doubt they have produced prominent names in MMA, including the “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim, A Sol Kwon and Seo Hee Ham. Arguably the most well-known however is Chan Sung Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie.” After serving his mandatory military time in South Korea, Jung started his second UFC run in 2017. Now 2-1 in his campaign, he goes up against Frankie Edgar in the main event of UFC Busan.

Live from the Sajik Arena (사직실내체육관), in Busan (부산시), Korea (한국), UFC concludes it’s action-packed 2019 with UFC on ESPN+ 23. Starting at the ripe time of 2AM EST, the prelims for UFC Busan features seven bouts.

Bout 1: Heili Alateng (알라탕 헬리) (13-7-1) vs. Ryan Benoit (라이언 브누아) (10-5) (Bantamweight)

In the first bout of the show, Ryan Benoit will make a return to the UFC after a two-year layoff to face Heili Alateng. Benoit is 3-3 in the UFC, being absent since 2017, where he defeated Ashkan Mokhatarian with a head kick. Alateng is familiar to Korea, having been a frequent fighter in ROAD FC prior to being scouted by the UFC. He won his UFC debut against Danaa Batgerel back in August, going the distance with the Mongolian fighter.

Bout 2: Amanda Lemos (아만다 레모스) (6-1-1) vs. Miranda Granger (미란다 그레인저) (7-0) (Flyweight)

Similar to the first fight of the evening, Amanda Lemos comes back from an extensive break to face Miranda Granger in this fight. Lemos last fought in 2017, losing to Leslie Smith. That was Lemos’ first fight in the UFC, attempting to bounce back from whatever negative momentum still is there from the dated loss. Granger got her debut jitters out of the way in August, getting a win over Hannah Goldy. Granger had previously fought in regional promotion CFFC. She has stayed undefeated throughout her professional and amateur career.

Bout 3: Said Nurmagomedov (사이드 누르마고메도프) (13-1) vs. Raoni Barcelos (라오니 바르셀로스) (14-1) (Bantamweight)

In a fight that feels buried deep down this card, up-and-coming Said Nurmagomedov and Raoni Barcelos are pitted against each other in a bantamweight bout. Nurmagomedov is 2-0 in the UFC, prevailing over Justin Scoggins and Ricardo Ramos. Barcelos is 3-0, having recently defeated Carlos Huachin via punches.

Bout 4: Alexandre Pantoja (21-4) (알렉산드레 판토자) vs. Matt Schnell (14-4) (맷 슈넬) (Flyweight)

Matt Schnell took a little time to get on his feet in the UFC. He lost to Tim Elliott on The Ultimate Fighter Season 24, then lost two times on other shows. But, in late 2017, he snapped his losing streak and started what is now a four-fight winning streak. Attempting to move it to five, Schnell goes up against Alexandre Pantoja. “The Cannibal” most recently lost to Deiveson Figueiredo via decision at UFC 240, breaking a three-fight winning streak he had before. Pantoja has a solid 5-2 record in the UFC.

Bout 5: Omar Morales (오마르 모랄레스) (8-0) vs. Dong Hyun Ma (마동현) (16-10-3) (Lightweight)

The first Korean fighter on the card, Dong Hyun Ma, has a tall order: end Omar Morales’ undefeated streak. Morales is a Dana White’s Contender Series winner, making his debut on this card. He has also fought in Bellator in the past, taking out Troy Nawrocki in under a minute at Bellator 204. Ma has fought in the UFC since 2015, going 3-4 in the promotion. “The Maestro” will walk into this fight on a two-fight losing streak, recently getting stopped by Scott Holtzman in August.

Bout 6: Suman Mokhtarian (수만 모크타리안) (8-1) vs. Seung Woo Choi (최승우) (7-3) (Featherweight)

As the prelims near their end, two fighters will compete who have never tasted victory in the UFC. Suman Mokhatarian lost in The Ultimate Fighter Season 27, and most recently lost in the first round to Sodiq Yusuff. Korean fighter Seung Woo Choi debuted earlier this year, losing to Movsar Evloev and Gavin Tucker. He had previously been successful in Korean promotion TFC.

Bout 7: Ciryl Gane (시릴 가네) (5-0) vs. Tanner Boser (태너 보저) (17-5-1) (Heavyweight)

In the featured fight of the preliminary card, undefeated Ciryl Gane faces Tanner Boser. Gane debuted earlier this year, prevailing over Raphael Pessoa and Dontale Mayes. He had previously fought in Canadian promotion TKO. Boser won his UFC debut two months back, going the distance against Daniel Spitz. Before then, he had competed many times in ACB.

Bout 8: Kyung Ho Kang (강경호) (16-8) vs. Pingyuan Liu (리우 핑유안) (15-5) (Bantamweight)

Kicking off the main card, “Mr. Perfect” Kyung Ho Kang will face Pingyuan Liu. Coming from recognized Korean gym “Team MAD,” Kang has been a part of the UFC since 2013. A win at this show would give him a three-fight winning streak. That would make a three-way tie with his two other three-fight winning streaks for most consecutive wins in his career. But that’s looking quite ahead of time. First, he has to defeat Liu, who is no walk-through opponent. While he recently lost to Jonathan Martinez in July, the fight ended his 10-fight winning streak which dates back to his career in WLF.

Bout 9: Jun Yong Park (박준용) (10-4) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (마크-안드레 바리올트) (11-3) (Middleweight)

The next fight sees Jun Yong Park and Marc-Andre Barriault battle for their first win in the promotion. Park lost his debut to Anthony Hernandez in August, getting caught in an anaconda choke in the second minute. Barriault lost twice this year, more recently in a split decision to Krzysztof Jotko. He wrapped up a six-fight undefeated stint in TKO before being signed by the UFC.

Bout 10: Da Un Jung (정다운) (12-2) vs. Mike Rodriguez (10-4) (마이크 로드리게스) (Light Heavyweight)

Following a strong debut in August from Da Un Jung, he returns on this card to face Mike Rodriguez. Jung’s UFC debut saw him choke Khadis Ibragimov to win the fight. He had previously fought in many promotions, mainly Japanese promotion HEAT. Rodriguez recently lost to John Allan via decision, making him 1-2 in the promotion. He found himself in the UFC after getting a stoppage victory in the first season of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Bout 11: Doo Ho Choi (최두호) (14-3) vs. Charles Jourdain (찰스 조르단) (9-2) (Featherweight)

A couple of fights after gym-mate Kyung Ho Kang fights, Doo Ho Choi will be put up against Charles “Air” Jourdain in a featherweight class. Choi has been out of the spotlight lately, recently losing to Jeremy Stephens via punches in early 2018. Before then, his most recent fight was a loss to Cub Swanson in 2016. Attempting to break his streak, “The Korean Superboy” will be put up against Jourdain, who lost in his UFC debut against Des Green back in May. Coincidentally, like many other fighters on this card, Jourdain fought frequently in Canadian promotion TKO before being signed to the UFC.

Bout 12: Volkan Oezdemir (볼칸 우즈데미르) (16-4) v.s Aleksandar Rakic (알렉산더 라키치) (12-1) (Light Heavyweight)

The co-main event of the show sees light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic get put up against one of the weight classes gatekeepers, Volkan Oezdemir. Rakic is 4-0 since debuting in the UFC, more recently getting a win over Jimi Manuwa in under a minute due to a head kick. Oezdemir recently put an ending to a three-fight losing streak, stopping Ilir Latifi in two rounds. To be absolutely fair, Oezdemir’s losses came against title challengers like Daniel Cormier, Anthony Smith and Dominick Reyes. Whether he will allow Rakic to add his name to the list of winners will be seen on Saturday.

Bout 13: Chan Sung Jung (정찬성) (15-5) vs. Frankie Edgar (프랭키 에드가) (23-7-1) (Featherweight)

The main event of the evening sees Chan Sung Jung, or, “The Korean Zombie” face Frankie Edgar in a five-round fight. This matchup only came together in recent weeks, as Jung’s original opponent was Brian Ortega. He pulled out of the fight recently however, citing a torn ACL taking him out of action. Edgar stepped up to the plate, and here we are. Jung left the UFC limelight in 2014 to undergo two years of military service in Korea. He returned in 2017, stopping Dennis Bermudez in under three minutes with punches. His first lost in his recent run came against Yair Rodriguez, who landed a literal last-second elbow to knock Jung out in a five-round bout. Jung bounced back however, recently defeating Renato Moicano in just under a minute with strikes.

Edgar’s last fight was for the Featherweight Championship. While he went all 25 minutes with now-former champion Max Holloway, he did not prevail. Before then, he beat Cub Swanson. He was originally slated to face Jung in 2018, but was replaced due to a torn bicep. Edgar is one of the most experienced fighters in UFC’s history, with a record of 17-7-1 in the promotion.

After this event, UFC will be absent from events for four weeks. When returning, UFC will present UFC 246. Currently scheduled to headline the card is Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone in a five-round non-championship fight. In the meantime however, there will most certainly still be MMA. Bellator will debut in Japan on the 28th, with Fedor Emelianenko and Rampage Jackson main eventing the card. New Year’s Eve will have a double header with RIZIN in Japan and PFL having their grand finals in New York. ONE Championship will also hold a big card in Thailand to kick off the new year’s tour of MMA events.

UFC on ESPN+ 12: Moicano vs. Korean Zombie Full Report

On Saturday, UFC made their debut in South Carolina on Saturday with a Featherweight main event. Both coming off losses, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Renato Moicano faced off in the main event. Below them were 10 other fights taking place in a wide array of weight classes. Deron Winn and Eric Spicely kicked off the evening.

Preliminary Card

Bout 1: Deron Winn (5-0) vs. Eric Spicely (12-4) (Middleweight)

Starting off the evening was a clash of middleweights, between Deron Winn and Eric Spicely. Between these two fighters, the biggest disparity was height. Early in the first round, Winn was able to get close and land hard strikes and then keep the distance afterwards. After a while, it felt like Spicely was purely in a defensive mode. Spicely was able to land a knee to the body many times when in a clinch. Spicely seemed to get more comfortable in the second half of the fight. In the second round, Winn was stringing together combinations. He had Spicely cornered many times, just unloading punches. Winn’s dominant punches continued through to the end of the second round. The final round felt like a turnaround for Spicely, who started to land more strikes and block takedown attempts. Both fighters were tremendously tired in the final minutes. The fight went the distance with all three judges giving it to Deron Winn unanimously (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Winn	10	10	9	29
Spicely	9	8	10	27

Bout 2: Molly McCann (8-2) vs. Ariane Lipski (11-4) (Flyweight)

In a flyweight contest, Molly McCann faced Ariane Lipski in the next bout. McCann seemed to be fired up before the fight while Lipski was calmer. The first round had very close striking between both fighters. McCann landed a hard takedown at the end of the first. McCann did a similar last-minute takedown in the second round. In the final round, a cut became visible on McCann’s head. McCann’s personality was apparent throughout the fight. The fight went the distance with both of them swinging until the bell. The judges gave Molly McCann the unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
McCann	10	10	10	30
Lipski	9	9	9	27

Bout 3: Allen Crowder (10-3) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (7-0) (Heavyweight)

Moving to the biggest weight class of all, Allen Crowder faced Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Not even 10 or five seconds into the bout, Rozenstruik landed a left jab which put down Crowder. He landed a couple more punches before the fight ended.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Crowder
Rozenstruik

Bout 4: Matt Wiman (16-7) vs. Luis Pena (6-1) (Lightweight)

In the next matchup, Matt Wiman made a return after a long absence to face Luis Pena. In the first minute, Pena landed a knee in the clinch that cut open Wiman quite a bit. There was a pause in the fight due to the cut, but it continued. Wiman shot for a takedown but Pena got the best of it, landing strikes from top position. Pena landed, even more, strikes to the head on the ground, making the cut more severe. Before the second round started a doctor looked at Wiman’s cut once again. He was given the green light to continue. Another takedown attempt by Wiman was taken over by Pena. At the start of every round, Pena would apply pressure by immediately walking up to Wiman until he was up against a wall. In the final round, Wiman fell down, which allowed Pena to rain down strikes from above. After enough strikes, Pena won the fight via TKO.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Wiman	8	9
Pena	10	10

Bout 5: Ashley Yoder (6-4) vs. Syuri Kondo (6-2) (Strawweight)

The next preliminary bout saw Syuri Kondo face Ashley Yoder. Yoder landed a takedown in the opening minute. She was dominant on the ground for the whole round, trying for many different submission moves. At the start of the second Yoder failed to land a single leg takedown. When they went on the ground once again, Yoder was back to being her dominant self. At the start of the third round Kondo put in a standing guillotine but couldn’t close out the fight with it. Yoder brought it back to the ground and continued her success until the fight ran out of time. The fight went to Ashley Yoder, with the scorecards being more than favouring to her (30-26, 30-25 & 30-24).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Yoder	10	10	10	30
Kondo	9	9	9	27

Bout 6: Dan Ige (11-2) vs. Kevin Aguilar (17-1) (Featherweight)

Finishing off the prelims was Dan Ige and Kevin Aguilar. Aguilar had a cut open on his face in the first round which made him bleed quite a bit. Ige dropped Aguilar with a left after a few minutes and then got in top position. Ige landed a takedown minute into the second round, but Aguilar got into top position. Aguilar landed what looked like a wrestling move, putting Ige on his back and dropping him. He tried for an armbar afterwards but it didn’t work. From top position, Aguilar landed tons of strikes before the round concluded. The final round had stand-up from both fighters, with Ige’s boxing being showcased. Aguilar was eating tons of punches and knees. Ige landed a single leg takedown with under a minute left, but then stood back up. He survived the full fight but didn’t look sharp at the end. All three judges decided that Dan Ige should get the victory (29-28, 29-28 & 29-27).

Main Card

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Ige	10	9	10	29
Aguilar	9	10	9	28

Bout 7: Alessio Di Chirico (12-2) vs. Kevin Holland (15-4) (Middleweight)

Starting off the main card was Alessia Di Chirico versus Kevin Holland. Shortly in the first round the fighters clinched up against the cage. In the final minute of the first Di Chirico landed an elbow that seemingly shook Holland. Many times in this fight they would have a standing clinch where Holland was the only one landing strikes. While he was the only one, the strikes weren’t that powerful. Holland started to move weir in the second round, almost like he was just running the clock and trying to not engage. When he went to his corner he felt his right shoulder. He told his corner his shoulder popped out. He decided to keep fighting. The final round had close striking between both fighters with not much engagement. The fight went the distance. All three judges gave the fight to Kevin Holland (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Di Chirico	10	10	10	30
Holland	9	9	9	27

Bout 8: Andrea Lee (#10) (10-2) vs. Montana De La Rosa (#11) (10-4) (Flyweight)

In the first fight of the evening with ranked fighters, Andrea Lee faced Montana De La Rosa. The first round had striking for the first couple of minutes. De La Rose landed a takedown, with Lee taking it up to a standing clinch shortly after. De La Rosa landed another takedown, but Lee brought it back up almost immediately. Early in the second round, Lee was able to fully stop a takedown attempt. De La Rosa started bleeding through her nose in the second round. Lee was landing good punches. De La Rosa landed a takedown near the end of the second round and in the opening minutes of the third. On the ground, Lee was trying for a triangle choke but couldn’t get it in fully. From top position, Lee landed punches. The fight ended with Lee on De La Rosa’s back. Andrea Lee was scored the winner unanimously (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Lee	9	10	10	29
De La Rosa	10	9	9	28

Bout 9: Andre Ewell (14-5) vs. Anderson dos Santos (20-7) (Bantamweight)

In the next matchup, Bantamweights Andre Ewell and Anderson dos Santos squared off. The first round had both fighters were throwing hard punches. Ewell was eventually walking down Dos Santos and continuously landing strikes. The second round was not as intense as the first round, but it was still close striking. There was a pause in the round as Dos Santos was poked in the eye. Dos Santos took the fight to the ground and tried for some moves but Ewell eventually got out. Dos Santos shot for a takedown many times in the third round but wasn’t successful. Eventually, the fight got to the ground where Dos Santos took top position. For all of the second half of the round, Dos Santos was stuck to Ewell. The fight went all designated 15 minutes. The fight went to Andre Ewell unanimously (29-28, 29-28 & 29-27)

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Ewell	10	10	9	29
Dos Santos	9	9	10	28

Bout 10: Bryan Barberena (14-6) vs. Randy Brown (10-3) (Welterweight)

In the co-main event slot of the evening, Bryan Barberena faced Randy Brown. This fight in all of its rounds was a close striking battle. In the final round, Brown upped the tempo of punches and started to take over the fight. He had Barberena backtracking and not throwing much. After Brown landed a knee to the head and a few more punches, the fight came to a close.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Barberena	10	9
Brown	9	10

Bout 11: Renato Moicano (#5) (13-2-1) vs. Chan Sung Jung (#12) (14-5) (Featherweight)

The main event of the evening was Renate Moicano facing “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. In the opening seconds of the first round, Sung Jung landed an overhand right which dropped Moicano. Moicano stayed alive on the ground, but not for long as Sung Jung eventually rained down strikes that ended the bout.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total
Moicano
Sung Jung

UFC’s weekly series called Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series is currently running it’s third season, with the second episode airing on Tuesday night this week. The next UFC event will be on Saturday next week, where Francis Ngannou will face Junior dos Santos live on ESPN. The next PPV event is on July the 7th, with Jon Jones versus Thiago Santos headlining the two title fight card.

Korean Zombie Pulls Off First Round Victory Over Renato Moicano

Chan Sung Jung, better known as “Korean Zombie” had a quick and dominant performance on Saturday over Renato Moicano. Sung Jung came in as the underdog, being the #12 ranked Featherweight facing the fifth-ranked fighter. Although it was scheduled for five rounds, not more than a minute was needed for Sung Jung to get the victory at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, USA.

The fight only lasted a minute, with Sung Jung taking control of the fight with a strong overhand right which dropped Moicano. On the ground, Sung Jung tried for a rear naked choke on top position and landed strikes after Moicano flattened out on the ground. The referee stopped the contest with just a few seconds left in the first minute.

Sung Jung has now tripled his losses with wins, extending his record to 15-5. Renato Moicano was only given his third career loss from this bout, with the previous one coming from Jose Aldo back in February. The Korean Zombie bounced back from a previous prolific loss to Yiar Rodriguez, where an elbow landed in the final seconds of the fifth round.