After a super-spectacle at the UFC 245 last weekend, the show of the best MMA organization in the world continues in South Korea. Frankie Edgar goes on a long trip to face Chan Sung Jung, otherwise known as the Korean Zombie. These two guys should have had their clash recently, but back then Edgar withdrew due to an injury. Regarding UFC Fight Night 165, the event wasn’t planned to be like this, but anyway, it is going to be one hell of a fight.
Preview
Edgar (23-7-1 MMA, 17-7-1 UFC) wasn’t planned at all to be a part of this contest. Originally, it was Brian Ortega who was supposed to fight the Korean Zombie, but T-City, as the fans call him pulled out because of his knee injury. Edgar quickly jumped in and took the opportunity to meet Jung and improve his chances of reaching another title shot at the featherweight division. Edgar lost this July against Max Holloway via unanimous decision at the UFC 240, which was his second attempt to take the belt in this category. Once a very dominant champion in the lightweight division, Edgar was expected to win titles in multiple categories, but that didn’t happen. His greatest strength is his movement, but many are doubting that he has the stamina for going a long distance. He did endure Holloway, but at the age of 38 and with the only fight in the last year and a half, we can’t quite tell what is in his tank. Especially because his only chance in this bout will be the ground fight. He is better than his rival in that aspect of fighting.
Jung (15-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is the guys who equally finished his opponents via submission and by a knockout, but his most potent weapon is his heavy striking. He isn’t a very creative fighter, but more of a guy who goes forwards takes hits and aims for a chance to disturb the rival with one clean punch that can break almost every chin in this category. Though, he lost the recent fight against Yair Rodriguez, who replaced Edgar in that bout. The Korean Zombie was KOd with a fierce elbow of his rival, and that was a setback in his plans to earn the shot at the title in this division. He did have one earlier, but Jose Aldo solved him at the UFC 163. After a defeat against Rodriguez, Jung beat Renato Moicano in June, earning Performance of the Night award. The bout lasted for less than a minute, and although Moicano is not the top-level fighter, this was a good sign for the Korean that he is back on the right track.
Prediction
This is going to be a close one for predicting, but most definitely an interesting one for watching. The biggest reason for saying this is Edgar’s condition, which is a complete mystery for all of us. By the way, Edgar demolished Rodriguez, but that was more than two years ago, and since then he had two losses and a defeat, which is why we doubt his shape.
The home favorite in this one is not Holloway, who schooled the former lightweight champ, but still, we can’t tell whether Edgar has enough power to endure all the ferocious hits of the Korean Zombie. However, on the other side, Jung’s problem is that he hasn’t got a plan B if his original tactics aren’t working. But because of the home crowd and the fact that he is much younger than Edgar, who didn’t have enough time to prepare thoroughly for this event, we are backing up his triumph. The odds at BetXChange are heavily favoring the Korean, and at the moment, they stand at 0.48. Edgar used to be a great fighter, but his peak is way behind, therefore bet on Jung.
