UFC Fight Night time 225 breakdown: Is ‘The Korean Zombie’ a are living underdog in opposition to Max Holloway in Singapore?

Staple info:

• Height: 5’11” Age: 31 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 69″
• Final fight: Resolution earn over Arnold Allen (April 15, 2023)
• Camp: Gracie Technics/Hawaii Elite MMA (Hawaii)
• Stance/placing kind: Switch-stance/kickboxing
• Probability management: True

Supplemental info:

+ Damaged-down UFC featherweight champion
+ Regional MMA titles
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt
+ 10 KO victories
+ 2 submission wins
+ 3 first-round finishes
+ Building tempo and power
+ Valid feints and footwork
+ Improbable amount of shot risk
+ Improved wrestling ability
^ Defensively and offensively
+ Deceptively counters clinches
^ Strikes prosperous of the breaks
+ Underrated ground sport
^ Slick submissions in transition

Staple info:

• Height: 5’7″ Age: 36 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 72″
• Final fight: TKO loss to Alexander Volkanovski (April 9, 2022)
• Camp: Korean Zombie MMA (Korea)
• Stance/placing kind: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Probability management: True

Supplemental info:

+ Kickboxing expertise
^ Pro story of 15-6 with 11 KO’s
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu shadowy belt
+ 6 knockouts victories
+ 8 submission wins
+ 9 first-round finishes
+ KO vitality
+ Aggressive tempo and power
+ Effective combination striker
^ Most steadily shifts stances on attack
+ Catches kicks and counters smartly
+ Underrated wrestling ability
^ Defensively and offensively
+ Unheard of transitional grappler
^ Works smartly from entrance-headlock

The major event in Singapore gains a featherweight fight between two fan favorites who are mindful of the payment of counters.

Incomes the moniker of “The Korean Zombie” for the relentless power-combating he stepped onto the WEC stage with, Chan Sung Jung embodies the combating spirit of a country that has been thru its a part of adversity.

Coming from a kickboxing and light-weight martial arts base, Jung confidently presses thru dilemma, almost appealing his opposition in so that he can capitalize on their actions. And as soon as he can corral his aim between the cage and inner-shadowy octagon traces, Jung morphs correct into a non-disseminating offensive marauder, going to work on any share of flesh that becomes accessible.

Whether or not he’s slipping and returning slick uppercut-hook variations or unleashing flying knees up the center, Jung offers lots of offense within the pocket that his opposition has to respect. That acknowledged, if Jung can’t force this fight into his most standard phrases, then he might perhaps perhaps perhaps high-tail the risk of following round a foe who is perhaps extra mercurial-of-foot.

Enter Max Holloway.

Showing grand placing and footwork fundamentals since storming onto the UFC scene (as no doubt one of many promotion’s youngest signees, no less), Holloway, who became already making improvements to from fight to fight, turned a spacious nook in his occupation after his attain upon with Cub Swanson.

Since then, now we dangle witnessed a technical evolution unfold from the Hawaiian, who embraces his creativity and range with a various arsenal of attacks. Whether or not Holloway is raring his stance mid-combination or adjusting his timing on the soar, the mature featherweight kingpin makes for a hard be taught on the feet.

When feeling in plug, the 31-one year-mature seems to repay his outdated bodywork by punctuating his presence with every little thing from spinning sidekicks to digging left hooks to the liver. Coupled with his ability to counter successfully from either stance, Holloway can hypothetically hold a fight in many rather just a few directions.

That every person acknowledged, it’s far the constructing nature of the champion’s sport that makes him stand out from the the relaxation of the UFC proper.

Embodying a fighter archetype that I desire to take a look at with as “a builder,” Holloway just will not be going to only fabricate on his output, but his understanding of the fight’s traffic will also increase as he intelligently takes instruments from his opponent and incorporates them into his sport.

However, offensive volume – no matter how suave – comes with a stamp.

Pondering Jung’s total grappling skills and submission savvy from the entrance-headlock dilemma, Holloway will must be extra cautious if he elects to grapple with his Korean counterpart.

Even supposing he only semi-not too long ago obtained a shadowy belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Jung has long been a treacherous transitional risk who can flip the tide of a fight off of gorgeous one mistaken shot.

Predicating most of his offense from the entrance-headlock dilemma, Jung has a plethora of entrance-choke threats that he can chain to encourage-takes, which is finally but every other dilemma the keep “The Korean Zombie” involves lifestyles.

Since spending a while stateside to practice alongside Henry Cejudo and others, Jung has also regarded to further beef up upon his wrestling, demonstrating some smartly-organized, smartly-timed photos in his final outing. I wouldn’t primarily be very a lot surprised to seem Jung mix in these form of seems this Saturday, but I’m not particular how a hit he will seemingly be.

Holloway’s improbable placing might perhaps perhaps perhaps hallmark a smartly-organized fraction of his ticket, however the Hawaiian has quietly made constant enhancements to his counter grappling, placing forward an impressive 84 percent takedown defense rate.

Even when having his takedown defense tested by just among the most effective wrestlers in the division, Holloway has been capable of snuff out a smartly-organized majority of the photos sent his manner (even without problems re-wrestling his manner to creep positions of his dangle infrequently).

No longer only does Holloway point out the balance and defense to stuff takedowns, but he also reveals an just correct-making an are attempting awareness of how to behavior his hips and grips in shut. Deceptively hand-combating to counter clinches and grappling efforts, Holloway demonstrates a knack for placing off the breaks, one thing that might perhaps be rate expecting on this fight.

Extra importantly, whether Holloway is conducting himself from the clinch or within the chaos of transition, he has continuously prioritized maintaining his neck and head by either placing forward an upright posture in shut or keeping his fingers in the upright neighborhood to defend grasps.

Even encourage in his controversially scored loss to Dennis Bermudez, Holloway confirmed the defensive habits of defending chokes (that in total weren’t coming his manner) in transit, which tells me that this dependancy is deeply hardwired into his system. That acknowledged, Jung will light be but one rush or entrance choke far off from doubtlessly changing the complexion of this fight.

The oddsmakers and the public are siding with the Hawaiian fighter, record Holloway -1000 and Jung +560 by the exercise of FanDuel.

Pondering the amount of respect Holloway in total commands on the making a wager window, seeing a spread this huge doesn’t exactly surprise me.

You don’t want to critique anybody too harshly for getting bludgeoned by Alexander Volkanovksi, but Jung in truth regarded to point out his age the final day outing. And for these who add in the Korean’s direct of no activity throughout the latter stretches of his occupation, I rating it hard to originate a case for Jung here.

Even supposing I guess that Jung’s counters will seemingly be potent early, it’s almost not doable to wager in opposition to the proven sturdiness of Holloway’s Hawaiian chin.

Even supposing Holloway isn’t terrorized to mix in his grappling chops, I believe that he elects to potshot Jung standing from southpaw pondering both his competency from that stance and his counterpart’s previous concerns facing it.

I’ll hold Holloway to outlive some early scares in present to design again off the stretch and force a stoppage by the exercise of strikes by the fourth round.

Prediction: Holloway within the distance