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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will stage its UFC Fight Night 165: “Edgar vs. Korean Zombie” mixed martial arts (MMA) event on ESPN+ in the wee hours of Sat. morning (Dec. 21, 2019) inside Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea, which means you can stay up really late tonight or get up super early tomorrow, depending on where you live. Headlining the UFC Fight Night 165 fight card is the featherweight showdown between former UFC lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar, and longtime 145-pound title contender, Chan Sung Jung. “The Answer” steps in for the injured Brian Ortega on his way down to the bantamweight division in early 2020. Handling the co-headlining duties are light heavyweight power punchers Volkan Oezdemir and Aleksander Rakic, as the collide for a spot in the crowded 205-pound title chase.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 165 fight card on Saturday, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 2 a.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 5 a.m. ET.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Edgar vs. Korean Zombie.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Fight Night 165 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC BUSAN QUICK RESULTS:
Frankie Edgar vs. Chan Sung Jung — Jung def. Edgar by TKO (punches) at 3:18 of Round One
Volkan Oezdemir vs. Alexander Rakic — Oezdemir def. Rakic by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Doo Ho Choi vs. Charles Jourdain — Jourdain def. Choi by TKO (punches) at 4:32 of Round Two
Da Un Jung vs. Mike Rodriguez — Jung def. Rodriguez by TKO (punches) at 1:04 of Round One
Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Jun Yong Park — Park def. Barriault by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Kyung Ho Kang vs. Liu Pingyuan — Kang def. Liu by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Tanner Boser vs. Ciryl Gane — Gane def. Boser by unanimous decision (30-26 x3)
Suman Mokhtarian vs. Seungwoo Choi — Choi def. Mokhtarian by unanimous decision (29-26 x2, 29-25)
Dong Hyun Ma vs. Omar Morales — Morales def. Ma by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Matt Schnell — Pantoja def. Schnell by KO (punches) at 4:17 of Round One
Raoni Barcelos vs. Said Nurmagomedov — Barcelos def. Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Miranda Granger vs. Amanda Lemos — Lemos def. Granger by technical submission (rear naked choke) at 3:43 of Round One
Alateng Heili vs. Ryan Benoit — Alateng def. Benoit by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
UFC BUSAN PLAY-BY-PLAY:
145 lbs.: Frankie Edgar vs. Chan Sung Jung
Round 1: Edgar with his customary light-footed movement. Looking for low kicks and quick combinations. Edgar shoots, denied, lands a leg kick and gets hurt badly by a counter left. Jung catches him coming in with another heavy combination and down he goes. Jung follows him down and takes his back, bombing away. Alternating between punches and choke attempts. Two minutes in. Jung staying busy with shots. Two minutes to go.
Edgar slips out the back door and stands, only to be met by a barrage of punches. The ref’s seen enough.
Final result: Jung def. Edgar by TKO (punches)
205 lbs.: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Alexander Rakic
Round 1: Rakic throwing heavy, tries a flying knee and clamps down on a guillotine. Oezdemir pops his head free and they jockey for position. They separate a minute in. Body kick from Rakic and they exchange. Left hand lands. Oezdemir lands a left hook, blocks a knee. Two minutes in. Rakic fires a lead right. Combination lands for him on the counter. Low kick from Oezdemir. Rakic looks for a single-leg, transitions to a back take. Two minutes to go.
Oezdemir stands, hauled to the fence. They slug it out at close range. Nice combination by Rakic with a minute to go. Oezdemir falls short with his punches. Low kicks land for him. He tries to rush in. 10-9 Rakic.
Round 2: Oezdemir presses forward, lands low kicks. Hard counter right from Rakic, who eats more low kicks. Good exchange a minute in. There’s a giant knot on Rakic’s calf. Oezdemir stalking forward, eats a body kick. Two minutes in. Rakic catches a kick, can’t get the takedown but lands as he ties up. He exits with a right hand. Two minutes to go.
Rakic catches another leg kick, again can’t get the takedown. Stiff jab lands. They exchange. Trading low kicks with a minute to go. Oezdemir steps in with a left downstairs. Leg kick exchange. Oezdemir counter right. 10-9 Oezdemir.
Round 3: Good trade in the center. Low kick from Rakic. Counters land for him and he tries an inside reap. Both land on the break. Low kick from Oezdemir. Both whiff on big shots. Two minutes in. Right hand exchange. Rakic shoots, stuffed again. Good right hand lands for him. Oezdemir with a jab on the fence. Rakic check hook. Step-in hook by Oezdemir. Two minutes to go.
Trading punches near the fence. They tie up and Rakic lands a heavy combo on the break. Oezdemir comes back with his own blows and follows up with a leg kick. Oezdemir tries a head kick with a minute to go. Rakic shoots again, denied. They separate before the bell. The scoring is going to be wonky. 10-9 Rakic.
Final result: Oezdemir def. Rakic by split decision
145 lbs.: Doo Ho Choi vs. Charles Jourdain
Round 1: Choi stalking forward. They clinch and Jourdain lands some body shots before separating. Choi looking for counters, uppercut blocked. Jourdain lands a knee, eats a counter left a minute in. Good exchanges so far. Body kick from the Canadian. Choi low kick, blocks a knee. Brief clinch. Choi leg kick, then a check hook that wobbles Jourdain. Jourdain still throwing, eats another leg kick two minutes in. Lead right drops Jourdain and Choi follows him down into guard. Chois postures up for some punches. Two minutes to go.
Side control for Choi, looking for the back. Jourdain working his way to his feet. Left hands from Choi as they stand and separate. Spinning back fist catches Jourdain, still game but clearly feeling it. One minute to go. Counter flying knee from Jourdain answered by a left hook. Jourdain tries to spin and eats a left hook. He clinches, tries to spin on the exit. Suddenly, a huge straight left floors Choi. Jourdain is a bit slow to jump on him and Choi survives. What a round. 10-9 Choi.
Round 2: Jourdain whiffs a head kick, lands a body kick. Body jab afterwards. Right hook. Jourdain combination falls short, right hook lands a minute in. Body kick lands. Overhand left. Choi fires an uppercut, eats counters. Jourdain body kick and another left hand upstairs. Two minutes in. Both throw hard. Jourdain to the body. Choi with a right hook on the fence. Clean combination from Jourdain. Another. Choi tries to spin in return. Tow minutes to go.
Jumping knee from Choi. Body kick. Counter right. Jourdain with a teep downstairs. Clean jab comes back at him. Big uppercut from Jourdain in combination. One minute to go. Jourdain tries a flying knee. Another huge straight left catches Choi throwing and this time, Jourdain pounds him out.
Final result: Jourdain def. Choi by TKO (punches)
205 lbs.: Da Un Jung vs. Mike Rodriguez
Round 1: Rodriguez sending out kicks to start. Jung fires a right hand, tries a jumping front kick. In the first real exchange, Jung uncorks a straight right that takes out Rodriguez’s legs. A few more punches on the ground and it’s over.
Final result: Jung def. Rodriguez by TKO (punches)
185 lbs.: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Jun Yong Park
Round 1: Lead right from Barriault early. Jab exchange. Park with a combination upstairs. Low kick lands. One minute in. Both land low kicks. Barriault body and leg kicks. 1-2-body kick from Park, who takes a finger in the eye. Quick exchange when they resume. Two minutes in. Barriault low kick. Park to the body in combination, drives hard to complete a takedown. Barriault turns to his knees, manages to stand with Park still attached. Barriault avoids an outside reap and they trade leg kicks. Two minutes to go.
2-1 from Barriault. Counters from Park, uppercuts land clean. Barriault shoots, denied, eats a knee. One minute to go. Park leg kick. They trade rights. Barriault 1-2 and low kick. Park with a counter 1-2. 10-9 Park.
Round 2: Jab exchange to start. Barriault low kick. Left hand and cross counter connect. Barriault tries to spin, gets countered and again goes down from a dogged takedown attempt. Park looking for the back. One minute in. Barriault avoids the back control and works to stand. Park still has a bodylock. Outside reap attempt, not quite. Two minutes in. Park drags him to his knees and again tries to put in a hook. They separate. Two minutes to go.
Low kick from Barriault. Park circling, flicking out his jab. Low kick exchange. Another Barriault low kick. One minute to go. 1-2-3 from Park met by a right hand. Barriault denies a takedown attempt. Cross counter. Park tries to open up inside. Park body kick and two-piece. 10-9 Barriault.
Round 3: Barriault quickly takes the center, firing combinations. Right hand from Park on the break. Park ducks a left hook for another takedown attempt. Barriault denies it and ultimately separates. Jabs from Park. One minute in. Low kick from Barriault. Park with a knee and elbow inside. Uppercut. He counters a low kick with a two-piece. More jabs. Barriault really looking for the overhand, marching after Park and eating jabs. Counter right by Park two minutes in. More counters from Park. Barriault finds the mark with some hard leg kicks. Dude’s going for it. Two minutes to go.
Barriault changes levels, caught in a front headlock. They separate. Low kicks land for him. One minute to go. More low kicks. Jab exchange. Park catches a kick, can’t use it. More Park jabs. Counter right. 10-9 Park.
Final result: Park def. Barriault by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Liu Pingyuan
Round 1: Low kicks land for Liu. Kang ducks a right hand for a takedown into guard. He passes to half guard, gets stuck in full guard a minute in. Liu landing elbows off of his back. Trying to bring his guard higher, can’t do so. Two minutes to go.
Liu scoots to the fence, stands, has to fight off another takedown. Kang completes a single-leg back into guard. One minute to go. Liu remains active off of his back, eats some hard punches. 10-9 Kang.
Round 2: Kang lands an early head kick and ducks in for another takedown into guard. Short GnP. One minute in. Liu sporting some damage to his left eye, but still landing elbows. Two minutes in. More of the same. Two minutes to go.
Liu makes it to the fence, trying to stand. One minute to go. Short lefts from Kang. Liu goes for a longshot power guillotine. 10-9 Kang.
Round 3: Combination lands for Liu. Good leg kick. 1-1-2 after taking a low kick. He hops in with a kick, stuffs the initial takedown, manages to separate a minute in. 1-2 from Liu, denies another takedown attempt. Kang shoots in again, sprawled on again. Knees to the body by Liu, who gets faked out by a fake level change and slips to the mat two minutes in. Kang sets up in guard. Two minutes to go.
Liu unable to dislodge Kang. Kang stands over him, returns to guard without landing and now he’s sporting a huge cut from Liu’s elbows. One minute to go. Punches from Kang in return. Nasty right hand. 10-9 Kang.
Final result: Kang def. Liu by split decision
265 lbs.: Tanner Boser vs. Ciryl Gane
Round 1: Low kick from Boser to start. Gane switching stance. Right hook lands for him. Boser combo falls short. One minute in. Flicking body kick from Gane. Boser catches a leg kick, can’t land the counters. 1-1-2 lands for Gane, Boser comes back with a leg kick. Two minutes in. Gane with his own low kick, knocks Boser off-balance as both men throw. Boser blocks a head kick, lands a leg kick. Two minutes to go.
Overhand right lands for Boser. Counter right from Gane. Next one falls short. Uppercut connects. Quick exchange in the center, neither lands clean. One minute to go. Right hook and body knee from Gane. Long left, brief clinch. 10-9 Gane.
Round 2: Left hand lands for Gane. Boser low kick spins him around. Gane tries a reactive takedown, denied. Left straight catches Boser as he lands a leg kick. One minute in. Jab from Gane. Low kick. Good inside low kick from Boser. Gane answers with a body kick. Two minutes in. Body kick again. Boser steps in with a nice left hook. Gane suddenly jacks his jaw with a straight left, but Boser gets his wits back and lands a body shot. Two minutes to go.
Another low kick from Boser. He blocks a head kick. They trade left hands. Gane lands a knee downstairs. One minute to go. Both men land good lefts. Gane straight right, stiff jab. Uppercut, looping left. Boser looking to trade with him. 10-9 Gane.
Round 3: Boser looks to flurry, eats jabs. Counter right falls just short, leg kick connects. One minute in. Counter right lands this time. Gane with a step-in knee and jab. Boser catches a body kick, can’t use it. Teep from Gane and a knee. Two minutes in. Combination upstairs. Boser leg kick. Gane landing jabs from both stances. Two minutes to go.
1-1-2 lands for Gane on the fence. Body shots. Step-in knee. More jabs. Boser ties up, eats knees. Jab, jumping knee, uppercut. One minute to go. Gane patiently dismantling Boser. Body shots. Teep. Big uppercut and knee connect. 10-9 Gane.
Final result: Gane def. Boser by unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Suman Mokhtarian vs. Seungwoo Choi
Round 1: Choi on the front foot to start. Overhand right from Mokhtarian. Quick exchange. Low kick from Mokhtarian. 2-3 from Choi a minute in. Mokhtarian lands a counter right, eats a left hook. High kick from Choi and Mokhtarian shakes his head. Mokhtarian clinches, cracked with knees and elbows. Knees from Choi two minutes in. Still pressing Mokhtarian against the fence. Knee exchange. Two minutes to go.
Bigger knees from Choi and an elbow. The ref separates them for Choi grabbing the fence after multiple warnings and takes a point. Choi back on the advance. Low kick from Choi, opening up with strikes. One minute to go. Choi fires a head kick, eats a right hand, lands a knee downstairs as Mokhtarian puts him on the fence. Choi exits with an elbow. Mokhtarian on the retreat. 9-9 with the point deduction.
Round 2: Choi back to marching forward, launching long-range strikes. Low kick from Mokhtarian answered with a combination. Head kicks from Choi. Big left hook catches Mokhtarian throwing and Choi tears into him on the fence, flurrying to the head and body. Mokhtarian tries to smile and shake it off but gets floored by a right hand. Mokhtarian looking for a leg. Choi gets out, takes half guard, drops elbows. Two minutes in. They pause to put Mokhtarian’s mouthpiece back in. Two minutes to go.
Brutal elbows from Choi. Mokhtarian regains guard. One minute to go. Choi stands and waves him up. Low kick from Mokhtarian. Counter right. Choi continues marching after him, lands a left hook. They trade high kicks. 10-9 Choi.
Round 3: Choi backs him up with a body kick. Hard right cross and body kick. Mokhtarian low kicks. 2-3 from Choi. One minute in. Choi lands a leg kick. Left hook. Counter right and he takes an eye poke. Mokhtarian fires a flurry when they resume. Teep from Choi, low blow from Mokhtarian. Two minutes in. Mokhtarian lands an overhand, then another that hurts Choi. Mokhtarian leaps in with flying knees, then shoots and gets easily hurled into side control. Two minutes to go.
Elbows from Choi in half guard. One minute to go. More elbows piling up. 10-9 Choi.
Final result: Choi def. Mokhtarian by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Dong Hyun Ma vs. Omar Morales
Round 1: Ma southpaw, Morales orthodox. Counter left from Ma as he takes a body kick. Morales head kick blocked, eats a low kick. They trade power hands a minute in. Ma low kick. Ma tries a head kick, gets taken down into half guard. Two minutes in. Morales fires an elbow and Ma regains guard. Two minutes to go.
Not much action at the moment. Now Ma looking for a kimura. Morales elbows the body as he defends. Ma re-commits to the kimura. One minute to go. Morales gets his weight down on his hand to avoid it, postures up for some heavier blows. 10-9 Morales.
Round 2: Body kick from Morales. Ma falls short with a lead left. Low kick lands for him. Good exchange, Morales lands a hard left hook a minute in. Jab from Ma. Lead left. Leg kicks. Morales comes back with a body kick. Two minutes in. Side kick lands for Morales. Lots of pawing with the lead hand, not a lot of action. Two minutes to go.
They trade in the center, Ma lands a counter. Lead right fro mMorales. Ma to the body. Morales with a wheel kick that Ma shrugs off. Ma catches a body kick, can’t use it. Right cross from Morales. One minute to go. Ma takes an eye poke, shrugs off Morales’ apology and waves him on. Both swing big in the center. Body kick from Morales. He tries a flying knee and high kick. Close round. 10-9 Ma.
Round 3: Ma tries a high kick, blocked. Straight left from Ma met by a combination. One minute in. They trade, good left from Ma. Body kick. Morales steps in and floors Ma with a wheel kick, dropping heavy hammerfists on the ground. Ma survives, eats elbows. Half guard for Morales. Two minutes to go.
Ma tries to threaten the kimura again, denied. One minute to go. Ma again looks for the kimura and Morales responds by looking for the back, landing a few punches before Ma slips out the back door. 10-9 Morales.
Final result: Morales def. Ma by unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Matt Schnell
Round 1: Quick exchange in the center to start. Pantoja super active, hurts Schnell and they’re trading heat. Schnell shoots, stuffed. Low kick from Schnell. Combination from Pantoja a minute in. Another. They trade rights. Low kick connects for the Brazilian. Schnell pops him with a three-piece and rattle shim with a combo. Pantoja wobbles back, returns with a 1-2. Two minutes in. Pantoja combination. He grabs a bodylock and Schnell jumps guard tow minutes in. Hard right hands from Pantoja. He stands and limp-legs away, back to trading. Two minutes to go.
Combination from Schnell. Pantoja catches a low kick, blasts him with a right hand after taking him down. More GnP and he passes to side control. Schnell regains half guard, eats a right hand, can’t get the takedown and they stand. 1-2 from Pantoja. One minute to go. They trade again and Pantoja catches Schnell coming in with a brutal right hand. Schnell wobbles to the ground face-first and Pantoja puts him to sleep with the follow-ups.
Final result: Pantoja def. Schnell by KO (punches)
135 lbs.: Raoni Barcelos vs. Said Nurmagomedov
Round 1: Low kicks from Nurmagomedov to start. Barcelos pressures with a combo, avoids a spin. Nurmagomedov tries a fancy kick and gets leg kicked for it. Brazilian kick whiffs. One minute in. Spinning back fist blocked. Barcelos looking to pressure, avoids a spinning back kick. Nurmagomedov lands a low kick and tries to spin. Barcelos low kick. Jab lands for Nurmagomedov two minutes in. Head kick blocked. Barcelos leg kick. Spinning back kick misses for Nurmagomedov and he eats a right hand. They trade kicks. Nurmagomedov front kick just misses, eats a body kick and appears to slip. Barcelos low kick answered in kind. Two minutes to go.
Nurmagomedov tries another spinning kick. Barcelos answers a spinning back fist with an overhand right. They trade body blows. Barcelos catches a spinning back kick and looks for the back. Strong takedown defense from Nurmagomedov. Barcelos avoids a Brazilian kick and a spinning back fist, eating a jab. Nurmagomedov looks for his own takedown at the bell. Close round. 10-9 Nurmagomedov.
Round 2: Spinning back fist lands for Nurmagomedov, who’s staying active off the back foot. Spinning back kick to the body. Low kicks from Barcelos appears to hurt Nurmagomedov. Barcelos upping to volume a minute in. Nurmagomedov ties up and avoids some trips. Barcelos leg kick. Nurmagomedov spinning back kick misses. Two minutes in. Barcelos blocks a left hook, comes back with a leg kick. Nurmagomedov jabs after eating a low kick. Barcelos spins him around with another leg kick. Nice scramble, Barcelos looking for the back with two minutes to go.
Nurmagomedov with some elbows as he defends, eats some punches. One minute to go. More trading punches and elbows. Barcelos hops onto his back, both hooks in. Nurmagomedov defending, punching over his shoulder. 10-9 Barcelos.
Round 3: Barcelos avoids a spin, looks for a combination. Body kick lands for him, avoids a spinning back fist. Nurmagomedov wheel kick blocked. Low kick connects. One minute to go. Barcelos counter right and leg kick. Nurmagomedov with a series of low kicks in return. Nurmagomedov tries a counter spin and Barcelos puts him on the fence. Trading elbows inside and they separate two minutes in. Nurmagomedov with a pair of body shots, eats leg kicks and answers in kind. Overhand right lands for Nurmagomedov to kick off a combo. Two minutes to go.
Uppercut lands for the Dagestani. He fires a spinning back kick and Barcelos perfectly times a takedown into half guard. Barcelos looking for an arm triangle. Nurmagomedov briefly regains guard, gets caught in the arm triangle again. Nurmagomedov tries to use the fence to roll and gives up his back. He gets to his feet before the bell. 10-9 Barcelos.
Final result: Barcelos def. Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision
115 lbs.: Miranda Granger vs. Amanda Lemos
Round 1: Granger circling early. Lemos tries a high kick. Counter right from Granger. One minute in. Trading low kicks. Granger puts Lemos on the fence, but gets taken down from double underhooks into half guard. Granger looks to invert and threaten an arm. Short punches from Lemos in response. Granger now threatening a leg. Two minutes to go.
Lemos looking to pull her leg free, does so and cracks Granger with a couple of punches before wrapping up an awkward RNC as “Danger” gets to her knees. The angle isn’t perfect, but it’s enough to put Granger to sleep in a hurry.
Final result: Lemos def. Granger by technical submission (rear naked choke)
135 lbs.: Alateng Heili vs. Ryan Benoit
Round 1: Alateng orthodox, Benoit southpaw. Good body kick from Benoit. Low kick afterwards. One minute in. Straight left lands clean. Alateng looks for a foot sweep, can’t get it and takes him to the fence. They separate. Lead right form Alateng. Two minutes in. Good body shots by Benoit. Alateng straight right. Another heavy body kick by Benoit. Alateng counter right, eats a Superman punch. Two minutes to go.
Alateng combination, Benoit body shot. Alateng with a pair of right hands, then a third and a clean 1-2. Benoit comes back with a straight left. One minute to go. Alateng drops him with a 1-2, not a hard knockdown. Benoit shoots, stuffed, lands a hard left hand soon after. 10-9 Benoit.
Round 2: Benoit continuing to advance. Good body kick and straight left. 1-2. Counter right from Alateng. Another Benoit right hand. Alateng 1-2. One minute in. Benoit body kick, eats a right hand downstairs and lands a leg kick. Head kick this time and Benoit looks to capitalize. Alateng with a 1-2. Body kick lands for him. Two minutes in. Left hook form Benoit, right cross form Alateng. Stiff Benoit jab. Cross counter by Alateng, low kicks to follow. Two minutes to go.
Alateng cracks him with a hard right cross that Benoit wears well. Another counter right lands clean and backs Benoit off. Alateng lands a body kick and another clean 1-2. Benoit body kick with a minute to go. Another Alateng right. To the body this time, 1-2 upstairs. Benoit body kick and straight left, caught coming in with a right. Nice exchanges. Another right hand has Benoit hurt but Alateng can’t put him away before the bell. 10-9 Alateng.
Round 3: Benoit comes out advancing and gets double-legged into guard for it. Short punches from Alateng as Benoit looks to control his posture. One minute in. Benoit gets to his feet, avoids a suplex and separates. Anotehr takedown from Alateng, another failed suplex. Benoit grabs the fence as the drive continues but gets taken down anyway. Two minutes in. Benoit stands, avoids a trip and separates. Alateng shoots again and dumps him to the mat with a single-leg, nearly into side control. Butterfly guard with two minutes to go.
Benoit again manages to stand, manages to hit the switch and get back to range. One minute to go. Stiff jab from Benoit, eats a counter right. 1-3 connects and he denies a takedown. Benoit tries a head kick, denies a takedown and lands a knee. Benoit coming on strong late and they trade heat. Benoit cracks Alateng with hammerfists while defending a single-leg. 10-9 Alateng.
Final result: Alateng def. Benoit by split decision