A back-and-forth battle from start to finish, tonight’s main event had more action than the season finale of The Walking Dead.
Headlining tonight’s UFC on Fuel TV, featherweight phenom Chan-Sung Jung put on another impressive performance opposite Dustin Poirer in one of the most thrilling bouts of the year.
This showstopping performance saw both men throw their entire MMA arsenals of attack at each other. Ultimately, it was the Korean Zombie who came out victorious, putting Poirier to sleep with a vicious D’Arce choke after landing a huge uppercut followed by a brutal knee to the head.
This back-and-forth battle is not only deserving of the Fight of the Night award, but should be a serious contender for Fight of the Year as well.
Unexpectedly, Jung started Round 1 with a much more technical game plan than his previous bouts. Picking his spots and impressively defending Poirier’s takedowns, the Korean Zombie was able to capitalize on his opponent’s mistakes and even land a few takedowns of his own.
The second round saw a huge increase in the action as Jung began to pour it on with spinning backfists, flying knees and a barrage of other strikes.
The round ended with great triangle and armbar attempts by the Korean Zombie, nearly finishing Poirier, who just barely survived the myriad of submission attempts.
But once the bell rang signaling the start of Round 3, a fire was lit under Poirier.
Taking advantage of Jung’s waning cardio, Poirier was able to find his groove standing up, landing a myriad of power punches. Returning the favor from the previous two rounds, Poirier started to bust up the Korean Zombie’s face.
Heading into what would be the final frame, both men were clearly exhausted as the fight went from a technical battle to an all-out barn burner – a style of fighting that works in Jung’s favor.
Unhappy with his performance in the previous round, the Korean Zombie put everything he had into Round 4 and was able to finish Poirier because of it.
While Poirier showed lots of heart and nearly came back in Round 3, it was Jung who emerged as the superstar of the evening. His improved striking and submission game really shined through tonight and no one could have expected this fight to end the way it did.
But what made this bout truly incredible was Jung’s ability to once again beat the odds and win a fight he was supposed to lose.
It was this constant action and the surprisingly big win for the underdog that made the Korean Zombie vs. Poirier one of the most exciting fights of 2012.
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