Jose Aldo will look to successfully defend his UFC Featherweight Championship for the fifth consecutive time this weekend in Brazil when he takes on Chan Sung Jung in the main event at UFC 163.
Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie” is among the top featherweight fighters on the planet and one of the most dangerous to boot, with 11 of his 13 career victories coming via knockout, TKO or submission.
But before Aldo and Jung go at it for the featherweight throne, mixed martial arts fans will be treated to a pair of big-time showdowns in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions.
Below we’ll preview the top fights scheduled for Saturday’s UFC fight card in Rio de Janeiro.
Jose Aldo vs. Chan Sung Jung
Saturday’s main event will see current UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo put his title belt on the line in his home country against The Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung, who replaces Anthony Pettis in this bout.
But just because Jung is filling in for the injured Pettis, that doesn’t mean he should be taken lightly.
As mentioned, the 26-year-old is 13-3 for his career and has had just four of his 16 fights go to a judges’ scorecard. A polished fighter, Jung has won three fights via knockout or TKO and is 8-0 in fights determined by submission.
Still, Aldo’s impressive 22-1 overall record and 15-fight win streak is difficult to ignore. He’s defended the UFC featherweight crown successfully four straight times now, and will be the favorite to retain his title again this weekend in front of a sea of South American supporters.
Lyoto Machida vs. Phil Davis
In a very intriguing light heavyweight clash between two of the bigger names in the sport, Brazilian Lyoto Machida will square off against American Phil Davis.
Machida was on top of the world just a few years ago after beating Rashad Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, but three defeats in four fights had the 35-year-old veteran reeling coming into 2012.
He’s since rebounded with back-to-back victories over Ryan Bader and Dan Henderson, but will face an entirely new challenge in Davis, who has been beaten just once in 13 professional fights.
A versatile fighter, Davis can win in a variety of ways and has the stamina to go the distance with Machida at UFC 163. “The Dragon” has tremendous knockout prowess compared to Davis, but he’s getting older and isn’t quite as explosive as he was in his prime a few years back.
Cezar Ferreira vs. Thiago Santos
One of two middleweight fights on Saturday’s main card, Cezar Ferreira vs. Thiago Santos will pit two talented, 185-pound Brazilians against one another.
Santos hasn’t fought in over a year but is 8-1 coming in with four wins via knockout or TKO. His opponent, Ferreira last fought at UFC 147 in June 2012, beating Sergio Moraes via unanimous decision to win The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil middleweight tournament.
This will be Santos’ first bout in the UFC which will bring some added pressure for the 29-year-old middleweight.
Fans planning on watching this underrated fight should expect plenty of fireworks, however, as Santos’ last three fights have ended via TKO and two of Ferreira’s last three have ended in a knockout.
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