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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) staged its last event of 2019 last night (Sat., Dec. 21, 2019) from inside Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. In the main event of the evening, Chan Sung Jung knocked out Frankie Edgar in the very first round to go three of four since returning from mandated military duty (highlights). In the co-main event, Volkan Oezdemir defeated Aleksander Rakic after three rounds of intense action via split decision (recap).
Biggest Winner: Chan Sung Jung
Frankie Edgar may have not had anything to lose by stepping up to the plate on short notice to face “The Korean Zombie,” but Jung sure had a lot to win. After he dismantled “The Answer” via first round knockout, he immediately called for a title fight against newly-crowned champion, Alexander Volkanovski. And it’s a perfect callout, as “The Korean Zombie” is very deserving of the title shot after winning three of his last four. In fact, had it not been for a one-second mistake against Yair Rodriguez, he’d be a perfect 4-0. Furthermore, Max Holloway isn’t too sure about an immediate rematch, opening the door for Jung. Both he and Alexander will be going under the knife pretty soon and will likely be returning around the same time. And unless UFC re-books Jung vs Brian Ortega, “The Korean Zombie” could get his second shot at winning UFC gold.
Runner Up: Charles Jourdain
Aside from knocking out Doo Ho Choi and getting back in the win column, Jourdain scored an extra $50,000 in “Fight of the Night” bonus cash. Which is big for the 24-year old, as he can finally move out of his parent’s basement. No, seriously. The victory was also his first inside the Octagon, which is a huge relief for him, as going 0-2 in your first two UFC fights isn’t the best way to start a career in the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion in the world. Indeed, with the stress of getting his first UFC win out of the way, Jourdain can go into his future fights with a lot less pressure.
Biggest Loser: Doo Ho Choi
Yes, “The Korean Superboy” is as exciting and entertaining as anyone, just look at his bout against Charles Jourdain, as well as his wars against Cub Swanson and Jeremy Stephens. At the end of the day, though, he has to get wins or else he’ll be nothing more than another notch on someone else’s highlight reel. Choi got off to a great start with the promotion and even in defeat, he gained fandom. That said, losing three in a row simply isn’t good for him, or anyone else under the UFC umbrella. I mean, he’s no Dan Hardy. He’s still only 28 years old, but if he doesn’t pick up a win soon inside the Octagon (assuming he doesn’t get cut) he will have to continue his MMA career elsewhere for a little while.
For complete UFC Busan results and coverage click here.