Featherweight contenders Brian “T-City” Ortega (14-1, 3 KOs, 7 SUBs) and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (16-5, 6 KOs, 8 SUBs) will meet at UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie on Saturday, October 17, 2020 at UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The card streams live on ESPN+ starting 10pm ET. Also on the card is a flyweight contender matchup between Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (20-8, 7 KOs, 7 SUBs) and Katlyn “Blonde Fighter” Chookagian (14-3, 2 KOs, 1 SUB). Let’s take a closer look at the main event and break down your best bets at the UFC online sportsbook.
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Brian Ortega (14-1, 3 KOs, 7 SUBs)
It’s been nearly two years since we last saw Ortega inside the octagon. That was when he fought then-champion Max Holloway for the title and took the highest level ass-whooping one can experience: the kind where people wonder if you’ll ever be the same. With recency bias out of the way and a lengthy period to heal up and get his mind right, we’re fully expecting the T-City of old.
Ortega presents a unique set of problems for foes. First and foremost, he might be the most violent submission artist on the roster. We’ve seen him tap dudes as quickly as we’ve seen Rumble Johnson knock dudes out. Two examples come to mind here: the first was a prospect bout against a rising Moicano. Ortega fell behind on the scorecards as the fight was largely contested on the feet. Near the end of the third, he pulled the Brazilian to the ground and a few moments later it was over. Moicano - a bjj black belt - was frantically tapping. The same thing happened to Cub Swanson, another black belt, and it was shocking to see Swanson panic tapping to a standing guillotine.
Don’t get it twisted, either: Ortega can bang. He launched Frankie Edgar into air with an uppercut, and blasted Clay Guida with a finishing knee. While he’s still got a few levels to go before he can hang with a guy like Holloway, Ortega is a threat from everywhere.
Chan Sung Jung (16-5, 6 KOs, 8 SUBs)
For some reason, it’s been tough for this writer to lean on The Korean Zombie as a reliable bet - even though he’s one of my favorite fighters. His wins always seemed to have a fluky quality to them, as if he was scoring flash knockouts that didn’t provide real concussive damage. But since returning from a four-year hiatus serving in the Korean army and healing from major injuries (he’s notoriously injury-prone), Zombie has been an absolute beast.
In four fights, Zombie has notched three first-round KOs. His lone loss to Yair Rodriguez came in the literal last second of a fight that he had been winning for five rounds. Before his hiatus, Zombie was known as an action fighter with brass balls. Now, we’ve got to recognize him as a knockout artist - something that’s a bit difficult considering he only has 6 KOs in 16 career wins. But many men do have a strength spurt from their 20s to their 30s, and that could very well be the case here. Adding knockout power to a dynamic offensive skillset makes TKZ a legitimate title contender.
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Ortega 4.07 / Jung 4.25
Striking accuracy: Ortega 33% / Jung 39%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Ortega 7.36 / Jung 3.77
Striking defense: Ortega 50% / Jung 60%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Ortega 0.51 / Jung 0.81
Takedown accuracy: Ortega 16% / Jung 41%
Takedown defense: Ortega 56% / Jung 75%
Submissions per 15 minutes: Ortega 1.36 / Jung 0.64
UFC Picks
This is one of the non-title fights of the year for the featherweight division. Both men are lethal in different ways, and are pathologically aggressive as well. That’s why the easiest bet here is that the fight doesn’t go to decision, although it’s not cheap.
While we do think that TKZ has a slight advantage on paper, the betting lines here should be a lot closer than what they are. Ortega opened at +185 (which was a gift), and we expect smart bettors to hammer that money line and bring him closer to the +140 range. Jump on it anywhere over +150.
UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie Card & Odds
Featherweight - Brian Ortega +158 vs. Chan Sung Jung -191
Heavyweight - Ante Deljia +425 vs. Cyril Gane -583
Light Heavyweight - Modestas Bukauskas +277 vs. Jimmy Crute -352
Bantamweight - Mark Striegl +310 vs. Said Nurmagomedov -400
Women’s Flyweight - Katlyn Chookagian +123 vs. Jessica Andrade -147
Middleweight - John Phillips +203 vs. Jun Yong Park -250
Lightweight - Fares Ziam +119 vs. Jamie Mullarkey -143
Light Heavyweight - Gadzhimurad Antigulov +290 vs. Maxim Grishin -371
Women’s Flyweight - Poliana Botelho +184 vs. Gillian Robertson -225
Lightweight - Guram Kutateladze +239 vs Mateusz Gamrot -298
Welterweight - Claudio Silva +143 vs. James Krause -171
Featherweight - Jonathan Martinez +101 vs. Thomas Almeida -125
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