Featherweight contenders Frankie Edgar (23-7, 7 KOs, 4 SUBs) and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (15-5, 5 KOs, 8 SUBs) will meet at UFC on ESPN+ 23 on Saturday, December 21, 2019 at the Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. The card streams live on ESPN+ starting 5am ET.
The Korean Zombie is back in action, headlining an ESPN+ card in his native South Korea this Saturday. A star in his country and across the UFC, Chan Sung Jung will meet two-time title challenger Frankie Edgar - and it’s very likely a title shot will be on the line.
Since returning from his stint in the Korean Army, Zombie has gone 2-1. The loss came against Yair Rodriguez - a fight that Jung was well on his way to winning - when the Mexican fighter threw a no-look elbow that knocked the Korean out cold in the last second of the fifth round. It was one of the most spectacular knockouts in UFC history, and a definite speed bump in the Zombie’s quest for gold.
But in his last outing this past June, the 32-year old bounced back in a big way, needing less than a minute to knock out the respected Moicano Carneiro. Considering his starpower, and the fact that he hasn’t yet faced champion Alexander Volkanovski, The Zombie would make for a natural title challenger - if he beats Edgar.
That’s a big if. Frankie Edgar was originally supposed to drop to bantamweight for his next bout, but an injury to Brian Ortega gave The Answer a bigger fight against a star opponent. With all due respect to Cory Sandhagen, a matchup with The Korean Zombie just offers more. Edgar can still drop to 135 pounds afterward, and if he does so with a win over a top featherweight, he just might jump the line to a title shot.
The UFC odds at BookMaker.eu opened with The Korean Zombie as a clear -165 favorite, with Edgar at +135 on the comeback. Let’s break down the scrap and go over your best betting options. Live UFC betting is always available during any fight in case you want to hedge any of your bets as well.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chan Sung Jung -165
Frankie Edgar +135
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision:
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Edgar 3.60 / Jung 4.25
Striking accuracy: Edgar 39% / Jung 39%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Edgar 2.39 / Jung 3.77
Striking defense: Edgar 69% / Jung 60%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Edgar 2.36 / Jung 0.81
Takedown accuracy: Edgar 31% / Jung 41%
Takedown defense: Edgar 65% / Jung 75%
Submission average: Edgar 0.3 / Jung 0.64
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Edgar’s drop to bantamweight was a long time coming. He’s on the smaller side of 145, and that should be a factor in this matchup. There’s not much pop in his strikes, and the 38-year old simply can’t muscle guys to the ground despite excellent wrestling. The New Jersey native out-techniques his opponents, using his boxing and footwork to pile up points on the feet.
The big question here is whether Edgar can impose his wrestling. When he’s able to land takedowns, he’s nearly impossible to beat. Yair Rodriguez was demolished in less than two rounds because he had no answer to Edgar’s wrestling. Cub Swanson and Jeremy Stephens were unable to get their offenses going because they were stifled. Zombie is in real trouble if he ends up on his back.
However, TKZ has excellent takedown defense, and his size gives him some protection against the wrestling. The striking battle won’t be easy either: while the Korean is a more dynamic striker, Edgar’s boxing is so intelligent that he can good strikers. But TKZ isn’t just some wild brawler anymore, using controlled bursts of creative violence that takes advantage of all eight striking points.
UFC Odds Pick: Jung to win at -165
Edgar has been aging gracefully, but he’s slightly diminished in a few ways. We saw him knocked out for the first time in his career just last year, and he’s less likely to take down younger, stronger fighters anymore. The American will have some success landing combinations, but ultimately The Korean Zombie will do more damage over the course of 25 minutes.
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