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As UFC 273 draws near, the excitement is rising. A card stacked from bottom to top with incredible talent, great matchups and potential Fight of the Year candidates, this event is a can't miss pay-per-view.
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What better way to cap off an exciting night other than having Alexander Volkanovski, who's coming off of his career-best performance, defend his UFC featherweight title against Chan Sung Jung in his second attempt at gold?
'The Great' is a heavy favorite, and it's not too hard to see why. He's beaten Jose Aldo and Max Holloway twice and just dismantled Brian Ortega in one of the most exciting fights to grace the UFC. 'The Korean Zombie' wasn't originally even given this fight, but he took the opportunity after Holloway was forced to step down from this title opportunity.
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Again, the Australian fighter is the betting favorite for obvious reasons. This doesn't mean that it'l be an easy fight though. The Korean fighter has put on some great performances since his return to the octagon and seems to improve with each showing. Everyone loves a good underdog story -- so here are 5 reasons the Korean Zombie could upset Alexander Volkanovski.
#5. His top control
Perhaps the most underrated side of Chan Sung Jung's game is his top control. On full display in the Frankie Edgar and Renatoa Carneiro fights, 'The Korean Zombie' is absolutely a problem once he's on top.
This should be weighing on the mind of the current champion. Jung has done a good amount of training with former flyweight champion, bantamweight champion and Olympian, Henry Cejudo. If 'Zombie' can sharpen up his wrestling chops, this will tie in with his already-solid top control perfectly.
Patient, strategic and lethal, the Korean contender takes his time but has finished many of his fights once he secures a dominant position. The Australian isn't the easiest fighter to take down, but his recent outing against Ortega saw him in a very bad position that almost resulted in him being choked unconscious. Had that been Jung on top of him, he would've had a much harder time returning to his feet.
Furthermore, this will open up the striking of Jung. If the champion is questioning the takedowns and has to keep that threat in mind the whole time, that'll create openings for 'The Korean Zombie' to stick the champion with his heavy hands.
#4. Relentless pressure
He's not called 'The Korean Zombie' for nothing. Winning or losing, down or up, Jung will keep the pressure on until the fight is over with. Although Volkanovski has quite the gas tank, it'll be interesting to see if he can hold up with his opponent constantly marching forward after eating his best shots.
Assuming this fight makes it into the championship rounds, if 'Zombie' can apply the pressure early and often, then it'll make things very interesting, seeing as the Australian fighter is used to pushing the pace.
Even if the champion is able to dictate his pace, he'll have to deal with a fighter that won't take a backstep regardless of the power before him. This will both be discouraging and exhausting.
#3. He's a unique challenge in the UFC
Alexander Volkanovski has fought against all sorts of styles in his UFC run thus far. Chad Mendes posed a threat with his powerful striking, Jose Aldo was a challenge for how well-rounded he is, and Brian Ortega offered his jiu jitsu as his prominent threat.
What 'The Korean Zombie' brings to the table is awkward rhythm and precise strikes. Jung can at times stand almost stationary, but he's able to let his power fly and find the target very quickly. Previous opponents may have fought in patterns that Volkanovski was able to read -- this won't be the case with the 35-year-old.
With his shots coming from almost random and unique angles, it'll be hard to read and predict Jung. Not textbook, but efficient, 'Zombie' could connect with the champion's chin and that's all it takes, especially with the power that the contender possesses.
The preparation must even be challenging, as it's rare to find anyone to replicate Jung's style of fighting. His unique style has gotten him caught in the past, but it could pay in dividends if he's able to land that finalizing blow in his UFC 273 bout.
#2. He's a finisher
In his entire UFC stint, Chan Sung Jung has only used the judges' scorecards to secure a victory in one bout. 8 wins by submission and 6 by KO/TKO, Jung prefers the shorter days at the office.
Although he doesn't have much experience going the distance, he's shown that he's still a threat in the later rounds. The Dan Ige and Yair Rogriguez fights really highlight this, as Jung was rather successful in the fourth and fifth rounds of these fights.
Beyond the ability to finish at the highest level, this shows the tenacious mindset that 'The Korean Zombie' approaches his fights with. He believes in his striking and grappling, for they've served him well time and time again.
#1. Unpredictability
Of all the adjectives that form the legend that is 'The Korean Zombie', "Unpredictable" may be the one he'll need to lean on most in his bout against Alexander Volkanovski.
Although 'Zombie' already does a good job keeping his cards close to his chest in terms of his attacks, he'll need to mix things up much more in order to win the featherweight title. Flying knees, submission threats, quick counter shots -- these are things that will serve him well as he's fighting one of the most textbook champions in the UFC.
Chan Sung Jung has a large aresonal of attacks and the knockout power to boot. Although it's hard to speak on the champion's weaknesses, for he's undefeated in the UFC, he's taking on a task that he hasn't faced before in 'The Korean Zombie'.
The 33-year-old champion has a large skillset too, but his attacks won't be anything that 'Zombie' hasn't seen before. This isn't mutual, though. Volkanovski will have to be as aware as he's ever been when inside the octagon as the two close the curtain on UFC 273.
