There has typically been a pay-per-view event on Super Bowl weekend, but this year MMA bettors will be treated to a free UFC Fight Night card televised on FOX Sports 1 from Houston’s Toyota Center the night before the big game.
A featherweight matchup pitting former The Ultimate Fighter finalist and ninth-ranked Dennis Bermudez (16-5) against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (14-4) highlights the 12-fight card in the main event.
Bermudez is listed as a solid -200 favorite (bet $200 to win $100) to win his third bout in a row at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark, while Jung is the +160 underdog (bet $100 to win $160) and has not entered the Octagon since 2013.
Injuries and a mandatory military service requirement put Jung’s MMA career on hold the past three years after he battled Jose Aldo for the 145-pound title at UFC 163 on August 3, 2013.
Prior to that loss to Aldo, the 29-year-old Jung had won his previous three fights, but two of them took place way back in 2011. He is 3-1 in the UFC overall and earned performance bonuses in each of his three wins.
Meanwhile, Bermudez is 9-2 in the organization since falling to Diego Brandao in the TUF 14 Finale more than five years ago. He has bounced back from consecutive losses to Ricardo Lamas and Jeremy Stephens by beating Tatsuya Kawajiri and Rony Jason, both via unanimous decision.
In the co-main event, a pair of women’s strawweight contenders will square off when undefeated prospect Alexa Grasso (9-0) meets veteran Felice Herrig (11-6).
A 23-year-old from Guadalajara, Mexico, the 12th-ranked Grasso is understandably a large -300 favorite on the UFC Fight Night betting lines despite just one bout in the UFC so far. She earned a unanimous-decision win over Heather Jo Clark on November 5, while Herrig has not fought since July 23, 2016.
The 32-year-old Herrig does have a lot more MMA experience than her opponent though, and she hopes that will help her pull off the upset as a +230 underdog. A former pro kickboxer, the Chicago native has alternated wins and losses in her past five fights.
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