Chan Sung Jung returns to action in the UFC Denver headliner against longtime contender Frankie Edgar. Also on the card, “Platinum” Mike Perry meets fellow Jackson-Wink MMA fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
A pair of thrilling bouts are headed to where it all started for the UFC’s 25th anniversary event.
A pivotal featherweight fight between Frankie Edgar and Chan Sung Jung is set to headline UFC Fight Night 139 in Denver later this year, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported Friday evening. BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor first reported the pairing. Also booked for the card is a welterweight clash between Donald Cerrone and Mike Perry, per Okamoto.
Edgar last defeated Cub Swanson in a rematch by decision at UFC Fight Night 128 in April. Prior to that, the former UFC lightweight champion was stopped for the first time of his veteran career in a title eliminator against Brian Ortega at UFC 222. “The Answer,” who was on a two-fight winning streak before that loss, was initially scheduled to meet champ Max Holloway on that card, but the Hawaiian pulled out due to an injury.
Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie,” hasn’t competed since a February 2017 win over Dennis Bermudez, which ended in a first-round KO. That was Jung’s first fight since 2013, when he lost to then-titleholder Jose Aldo. Jung has battled multiple injuries throughout the latter part of his career, and also served mandatory time with the South Korean military.
Jung called Edgar out earlier this month.
Cerrone is coming off a decision loss to Leon Edwards in the UFC Fight Night 132 headliner last month. “Cowboy” defeated Yancy Medeiros by TKO prior to that fight, but is 1-4 in his last five bouts dating back to early 2017.
“Platinum” Perry bounced back from a two-fight skid (losses to Max Griffin and Santiago Ponzinibbio) earlier this month at UFC 226 with a decision win over Paul Felder, who moved up a weight class and stepped up on short notice. Perry started training at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque prior to the Felder fight; interestingly, Cerrone has trained there for the majority of his career.
UFC Fight Night 139 takes place at Pepsi Center on Nov. 10.