Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
On the UFC Busan main card, Charles Jourdain upset Doo Ho Choi, and Da Un Jung knocked out Mike Rodriguez.
The UFC Busan card is in-progress, and Charles Jourdain just upset Doo Ho Choi by stopping him with strikes in the second round. The opening act was back and forth with each man scoring knockdowns. Come round two, was throwing his volume with intensity, and was able to drop Choi again and finish with ground strikes. This is Jourdain’s first UFC win. Before that, Da Un Jung showed up big time with a sensational first-round knockout of Mike Rodriguez. Jung landed a sinister right cross that dropped his foe, and followed up with ground and pound to get the win. The winning streak of Jung now extends to 12.
Also on the main card, South Korea’s own Jun Yong Park took a unanimous decision over Marc-Andre Barriault. He used his grappling and counter striking to disrupt his opponent’s timing and earn the nod. This is Park’s first UFC win of his career. Opening up the main card, Kyung Ho Kang racked up tons of top control time en route to a split decision victory over Pingyuan Liu. Kang has won three in a row, and is 6-2-1 overall inside of the UFC.
Main card:
Charles Jourdain def. Doo Ho Choi by tKO at 4:32 of round 2: Featherweight
Choi pushed the action right away, backing his opponent up to the cage. His punching combinations were looking crisp. Jourdain stood his ground and returned some sharp punches of his own. A check left hook wobbled Jourdain, but he recovered quickly. Choi then hit Jourdain with a hard right hand that dropped him. Back on the feet, Jourdain began to throw back and was able to drop Choi with a stinging punch. Choi survived the round.
The featherweights continued to swing with bad intentions in the second stanza. Both men were landing hard punches and both were eating them well. The volume in this round was on the side of Jourdain. Just as time was ticking away, Jourdain landed another punching combo that dropped Choi again. He pounced right away with ground strikes and the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Good morning, Quebec!
Your boy is here to stay! @JourdainAir #UFCBusan pic.twitter.com/2NTYe4nx6Y
— UFC (@ufc) December 21, 2019
OH CANADA
This fight is non-stop action through R1! #UFCBusan pic.twitter.com/PO9k515F53
— UFC (@ufc) December 21, 2019
Like he never left the Octagon #UFCBusan pic.twitter.com/uTd8ySWHjU
— UFC (@ufc) December 21, 2019
Da Un Jung def. Mike Rodriguez by KO at 1:04 of round 1: Light Heavyweight
Jung came out and cracked off with a massive right hand that instantly folded up Rodriguez. Jung followed up with some vicious ground strikes and that was that! Wow!
DO NOT watch this KO with the sound off ?? #UFCBusan pic.twitter.com/diZg1Elp8Z
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 21, 2019
WHAT. A. FINISH.
Da-un Jung left a statement here at home!
?? Watch LIVE on E+ pic.twitter.com/gwV9BF68k2
— UFC (@ufc) December 21, 2019
Jun Yong Park def. Marc-Andre Barriault by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Middleweight
An early eye poke to Park caused a brief pause to the fight. The bout resumed and Park went hunting for the takedown. He briefly got the fight down to the floor, but Barriault did a great job of working his way back to his feet. The middleweights started to traded punches with both men landing. The second saw a a flurry from both men before Park shot in a found a takedown. Barriault stood back up but Park was strong with the bodylock. It took awhile, but Barriault finally broke free into open space. He pressed forward as Park used his footwork to stay away, with both guys landing leg kicks.
Barriault came out pressing forward while throwing heavy right hands. Park closed the distance but couldn’t keep it there. Barriault was landing calf kicks and Park was landing counter punches. It was then Barriault who shot in for the takedown, but Park defended well and remained on his feet.
Kyung Ho Kang def. Pingyuan Liu by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29): Bantamweight
Kang was quick to change levels and take this fight to the mat. Liu worked his elbows from the bottom, but was still getting held down.As soon as Liu did scramble back to his feet, Kang took him right back down. Kang went right back to the takedown early in the second round. The top pressure of Kang was still giving Liu fits. Liu was trying to get up, but really struggled to find the space to do so. He did not return to his feet in this round.
Liu started to land some volume at the beginning of the final round. He was also able to fight off the first couple of takedowns to keep the fight standing. Kang ultimately secured the top position and resumed his control. Liu was the one landing the strikes on the ground, despite being on the bottom. He threw a bunch of elbows that opened up a cut on Kang.