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After a terrific UFC 245, the UFC closes out its 2019 calendar with a show in Busan, South Korea. UFC Fight Night 165 will be held at the Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea on December 21, 2019. The event will be headlined by Korea’s own Chan Sung-Jung who is more popular by his nickname “The Korean Zombie”. Jung was supposed to take on former UFC featherweight challenger Brian Ortega but after the latter suffered an injury, veteran Frankie Edgar agreed to step in on short notice and fight the Korean Zombie. The five-round main event boasts of fighters who have either won or fought for a UFC title with Edgar being a veteran of 8 title fights and the Korean Zombie being a one-time title challenger. Both are ranked in the Top 5 so for sure, this bout will have title implications.
Let’s take a look at the two combatants and preview Saturday night’s main event and don’t forget to check our UFC Fight Night 165 undercard prelims preview.
Frankie Edgar
Frankie Edgar is a former UFC lightweight champion and is currently the 4th ranked featherweight in the UFC. Known as The Answer, the 38-year old from Toms River in New Jersey captured the UFC lightweight title at UFC 112 in 2010 by decision B.J. Penn. He defended the belt three times before losing it to Benson Henderson at UFC 144. Edgar fought seven consecutive title fights from 2010-2013 and he also challenged for the interim UFC featherweight belt in 2016, losing to Jose Aldo on points.
The Answer stands 5-6 tall and has a reach of 68 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 22-7 with six knockouts and four wins by submission. Edgar is just 3-3 in his last six fights and is coming off a decision loss to Max Holloway at UFC 240 when he challenged for the latter’s featherweight belt. Edgar owns notable wins over the likes of world champions Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, B.J. Penn ( whom he defeated three times ), and Urijah Faber.
Chan Sung-Jung
Chan Sun-Jung is a veteran mixed martial artist who has fought for organizations like the WEC, Pancrase, DEEP, and World Victory Road. A competitor since 2007, Jung has fought nine times under the UFC banner and has seven post-fight bonuses in those bouts. He is currently the 5th ranked UFC featherweight and is one of the most exciting fighters in the promotion. Known as the Korean Zombie for his incredible recovery skills, Jung fought for the UFC Featherweight title at UFC 163 but lost to Jose Aldo after dislocating his shoulder. He took a break from the sport in 2014 to serve his mandatory two-years military service in the Korean army. He is 2-1 since his return with his lone loss being a last-second knockout defeat against Yair Rodriguez.
The Korean Zombie is 5-7 tall and has a 72-inch reach while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 15-5 with 5 knockouts and 8 wins by submission. Jung is just 5-4 in his last nine bouts with eight of those fights ending via stoppage. After losing his last two bouts at the WEC, he moved to the UFC where he has a record of 5-2. The Korean Zombie has notable wins over the likes of Leonard Garcia, Dustin Poirier, Dennis Bermudez, and Renato Moicano.
Who Wins?
This is a tough fight to call. Edgar is already 38-year old and hasn’t been the Answer in his most recent fights. Edgar’s loss to Holloway and Ortega pretty much showed his age and his difficulty to match up against younger and more athletic fighters who are in their prime. Jung is very athletic and at 32, he should still be in his prime but you have to wonder what his long break took out of him. In the last six years, The Korean Zombie only has two quick knockouts and a five-round war against Yair Rodriguez.
Edgar’s striking is no more as his hands aren’t as quick and his reflexes aren’t all there anymore. However, when you look at the Answer, his wrestling will always be there and that will be his ace in this fight. But the Korean Zombie is no pushover on the ground because while he doesn’t have Edgar’s wrestling pedigree, he is a crafty grappler who has terrific submission skills, even while on his back. That said, Edgar doesn’t necessarily win this fight on the ground.
In the stand-up, there is no question that Jung’s pressure and punching power are something that can bother a 38-year old Edgar. The Korean Zombie is longer and can fight from the outside while preventing Edgar from taking this fight to the mat. Jung also has terrific punching power and we saw Edgar struggle against an elite pressure fighter like Max Holloway.
I think Edgar goes for the takedown early because he doesn’t have the speed, athleticism, and quickness to match up with the Korean Zombie on his feet. Jung will be smart and he would love to keep the fight up for as long as he can because he is longer and faster than Edgar. If he doesn’t get taken down often, I don’t see how Edgar survives on his feet. The Korean Zombie has too much pressure and power.
Prediction: The Korean Zombie
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