Jose Aldo sits atop the featherweight division seemingly unperturbed by all the raucous caused by would-be heirs to his coveted throne, and rightly so.
As of yet, none have found a chink in his thus far impenetrable armour. And yes, that day may never come, unless the Scarred-Faced one tangles with a man who goes by the inimitable moniker of the “Korean Zombie.”
In the entirety of the 145-pound assemblage, Chan Sung Jung—he and he alone—has a chance of ending the reign of the man who has held sway of his weight class for nigh three years, from the defunct gates of the WEC to MMA‘s most lucrative promotion, the UFC.
Save for an injury, Aldo was slated to defend his title for a fourth successive time (not including three successful titles in the WEC) at UFC 149.
Erik Koch, his proposed opponent at the time, is a serious enough candidate, but needs one or maybe two more fights against the division’s upper-echelon combatants to be considered a threat. A victorious rematch against elite wrestler Chad Mendes should do the trick.
The aforementioned Mendes had his chance and blew it courtesy of a brutal knee to the face, so he’s out of the equation for the time being.
Pat Curran, who currently plies his trade in Bellator, will have to first test himself in the UFC before being considered.
So that leaves—well, Jung.
Since arriving at the Zuffa-based promotion, Jung has been nothing short of a walking nightmare. He’s literally wrecked shop with two mesmerizing submission victories for the ages and a seven-second blitzkrieg of Aldo victim Mark Hominick.
Sure, Aldo’s résumé is filled with victories against some of the who’s who of the MMA featherweight class (exponents of a variety of disciplines), but in Jung, he’ll be locking horns with a disparate type of animal—not the one who left the WEC by way of head kick KO.
Jung wouldn’t shirk a standup with the Brazilian (though he’ll have to be mindful of Aldo’s numb-inducing leg kicks) as evidenced by his trouncing of Hominick. Furthermore, Jung’s BJJ blue belt credentials don’t do him justice—he’s ruthless. If the fight should somehow find its way to the mat, Aldo could be in for a rude awakening via an improvised submission of sorts.
That said, Aldo is still, without a doubt, one of the most accomplished practitioners in MMA today, and his last 14 outings are proof enough—he’s always found a way to prevail.
However, that doesn’t mean The Korean Zombie hasn’t a cat’s chance in hell of causing an upset, because he does.
At present, both combatants are sidelined with injuries, so there’s no telling when and if that day will come.
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