UFC 163 Fight Card: Previewing Top Matchups in Rio De Janeiro

Jose Aldo will look to successfully defend his UFC Featherweight Championship for the fifth consecutive time this weekend in Brazil when he takes on Chan Sung Jung in the main event at UFC 163.
Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie” is among the top…

Jose Aldo will look to successfully defend his UFC Featherweight Championship for the fifth consecutive time this weekend in Brazil when he takes on Chan Sung Jung in the main event at UFC 163.

Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie” is among the top featherweight fighters on the planet and one of the most dangerous to boot, with 11 of his 13 career victories coming via knockout, TKO or submission. 

But before Aldo and Jung go at it for the featherweight throne, mixed martial arts fans will be treated to a pair of big-time showdowns in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions.

Below we’ll preview the top fights scheduled for Saturday’s UFC fight card in Rio de Janeiro.

 

 

Jose Aldo vs. Chan Sung Jung

Saturday’s main event will see current UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo put his title belt on the line in his home country against The Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung, who replaces Anthony Pettis in this bout.

But just because Jung is filling in for the injured Pettis, that doesn’t mean he should be taken lightly.

As mentioned, the 26-year-old is 13-3 for his career and has had just four of his 16 fights go to a judges’ scorecard. A polished fighter, Jung has won three fights via knockout or TKO and is 8-0 in fights determined by submission. 

Still, Aldo’s impressive 22-1 overall record and 15-fight win streak is difficult to ignore. He’s defended the UFC featherweight crown successfully four straight times now, and will be the favorite to retain his title again this weekend in front of a sea of South American supporters.

 

Lyoto Machida vs. Phil Davis

In a very intriguing light heavyweight clash between two of the bigger names in the sport, Brazilian Lyoto Machida will square off against American Phil Davis.

Machida was on top of the world just a few years ago after beating Rashad Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, but three defeats in four fights had the 35-year-old veteran reeling coming into 2012.

He’s since rebounded with back-to-back victories over Ryan Bader and Dan Henderson, but will face an entirely new challenge in Davis, who has been beaten just once in 13 professional fights.

A versatile fighter, Davis can win in a variety of ways and has the stamina to go the distance with Machida at UFC 163. “The Dragon” has tremendous knockout prowess compared to Davis, but he’s getting older and isn’t quite as explosive as he was in his prime a few years back. 

 

Cezar Ferreira vs. Thiago Santos

One of two middleweight fights on Saturday’s main card, Cezar Ferreira vs. Thiago Santos will pit two talented, 185-pound Brazilians against one another.

Santos hasn’t fought in over a year but is 8-1 coming in with four wins via knockout or TKO. His opponent, Ferreira last fought at UFC 147 in June 2012, beating Sergio Moraes via unanimous decision to win The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil middleweight tournament. 

This will be Santos’ first bout in the UFC which will bring some added pressure for the 29-year-old middleweight. 

Fans planning on watching this underrated fight should expect plenty of fireworks, however, as Santos’ last three fights have ended via TKO and two of Ferreira’s last three have ended in a knockout.

 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter. 

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UFC 163 Weigh-in Results: Jose Aldo vs Korean Zombie Fight Card

UFC 163 will take place on Saturday, August 3 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Headlining the event is a featherweight title fight between reigning champion Jose Aldo and challenger Chan Sung Jung. The bout will be Aldo’s seventh co…

UFC 163 will take place on Saturday, August 3 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Headlining the event is a featherweight title fight between reigning champion Jose Aldo and challenger Chan Sung Jung. The bout will be Aldo’s seventh consecutive attempt at defending his title.

Aldo (22-1) has held the title since defeating Mike Brown as a member of the WEC in 2009. When the UFC absorbed the WEC, Aldo and his title transferred to the promotion. Jung (13-3), also a WEC transfer, has won his last three fights, earning four Fight Night bonuses in the process.

The co-main event will feature former UFC lightweight heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida versus Phil Davis. Both fighters are ranked in the top ten in the 205-pound division, and a win from either could put them under consideration for the next title shot in the light heavyweight division.

Before the 24 fighters competing on Saturday can step into the Octagon, they have to step onto the scale; they will do so on Friday afternoon.

Weigh-ins will get underway from the HSBC Arena at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT and Bleacher Report will have the results posted right here as they happen.

 

UFC 163 Full Fight Card:

Jose Aldo vs. Chan Sung Jung

Phil Davis vs. Lyoto Machida

Cezar Ferreira vs. Thiago Santos

Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson

John Lineker vs. Jose Maria Tome

Vinny Magalhaes vs. Anthony Perosh

Sheila Gaff vs. Amanda Nunes

Neil Magny vs. Sergio Moraes

Ian McCall vs. Iliarde Santos

Josh Clopton vs. Rani Yahya

Francimar Barroso vs. Ednaldo Oliveira

Viscardi Andrade vs. Bristol Marunde

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Gambling Addiction Enabler: ‘UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie’ Edition

By Dan “Get Off Me” George

This Saturday night, Zuffa heads to Rio de Janeiro — home of beautiful beaches and even more beautiful beetches (waka waka!) — where a seemingly unstoppable champion plans to defend his featherweight strap against a zombie. Come on, that’s gotta be worth sixty bucks. This may be a PPV light on star power, but we all know what happened the last time a card held in Brazil without much star power turned out.

And with each pay-per-view comes the best damn gambling advice you will find on the Internet (YOU SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH), so join us as we break down some of the undercard as well as all of the main card bouts for UFC 163. All odds courtesy of BestFightOdds.

Undercard bouts:

Ian McCall (-380) vs. Iliarde Santos (+315)

In lieu of Demetrious Johnson’s performance last week, -400 for Ian McCall to beat Santos is parlay bound. Santos had trouble getting out of the gate in his UFC debut and will surely put up a stronger performance, but “Uncle Creepy” has fought 6 rounds (and even won a few!) with the champion in the division. There is always a possibility of the hometown judging playing the culprit or Ian having a mental breakdown whilst reflecting on his life as of late, but if McCall loses here, it will almost be worth losing the bet to see what happens next with him. McCall to win.

By Dan “Get Off Me” George

This Saturday night, Zuffa heads to Rio de Janeiro — home of beautiful beaches and even more beautiful beetches (waka waka!) – where a seemingly unstoppable champion plans to defend his featherweight strap against a zombie. Come on, that’s gotta be worth sixty bucks. This may be a PPV light on star power, but we all know what happened the last time a card held in Brazil without much star power turned out.

And with each pay-per-view comes the best damn gambling advice you will find on the Internet (YOU SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH), so join us as we break down some of the undercard as well as all of the main card bouts for UFC 163. All odds courtesy of BestFightOdds.

Undercard bouts:

Ian McCall (-380) vs. Iliarde Santos (+315)

In lieu of Demetrious Johnson’s performance last week, -400 for Ian McCall to beat Santos is parlay bound. Santos had trouble getting out of the gate in his UFC debut and will surely put up a stronger performance, but “Uncle Creepy” has fought 6 rounds (and even won a few!) with the champion in the division. There is always a possibility of the hometown judging playing the culprit or Ian having a mental breakdown whilst reflecting on his life as of late, but if McCall loses here, it will almost be worth losing the bet to see what happens next with him. McCall to win.

Vinny Magalhaes (-400) vs. Anthony Perosh (+325)

Anthony Perosh comes in as the +300 underdog, partly thanks to his 7 second appearance in his last Octagon performance. The “Hippo” is well rounded, with his underrated ground game allowing him to pick up two UFC wins as the underdog, but nothing short of the BJJ elite can surprise the decorated grappling star in Magalhaes on the mat. Magalhaes looked strong in his return to the Octagon and looking at Anthony’s willingness to engage in grappling, Vinny to win by submission at +180 is also a nice prop bet. Vinny to win on the parlay.

Main Card PPV:

John Lineker (-440) vs Jose Thome (+350)

Having not lost in 5 years, Jose Thome brings his 33-3 record to his Octagon debut against the always exciting -440 favorite John Lineker. The price is too steep for the favorite and laying anything on the dark horse who is north of 30 years old (where have you been with that record?) is a crapshoot at best. Your best bet on this one is a prop: -185 that this fight does not go to decision. The heavy favorite is always looking for the finish and Jose’s 3 losses all coming inside the distance, with only 3 of his 36 fights going to the cards.

Thales Leites (-125) vs. Tom Watson (+105)

Coming off a KOTN and FOTN bonus, Watson enters as the slight underdog against the returning Thales Leites. Before stopping Stanislav Nedkov, Watson showed improved takedown defense by nullifying the Bulgarian’s grappling game. Unlike his fellow BJJ black belt, Leites is not even remotely a threat in the stand up game compared to Nedkov, so it will be interesting to see how Watson handles the relentless grappling-centric attack of Thales. Watson is training with Jackson’s MMA and at TriStar, which may very well be the right recipe to beat the one time (thankfully) title contender at Middleweight. Watson for the upset.

Cezar Ferreira (-425) vs. Thiago Santos (+340)

With only one loss, Santos at +340 to upset the Ferreira is definitely the best long shot payout on the card. Santos has a little bit of everything to offer here, creative striking and strong grappling, whereas Cezar is paying about 20 cents on the dollar for winning TUF Brazil. Santos as long shot underdog +340 or pass.

Lyoto Machida (-370) vs. Phil Davis (+310)

After Gustafsson, the winner of this fight may be considered the next number one contender du jour (short of this guy maybe) at 205lbs. The stand up fight will be Lyoto’s to lose and the grappling advantages Davis may have will only be useful if the Penn State alum can catch Machida in one spot long enough to secure a takedown. The Dragon is next to impossible to take down, next to impossible to hit and almost next to impossible to watch at times. Davis will have to come out strong and try to get this fight to the ground early to avoid looking up at the clock halfway through the third round realizing he needs to finish the fight to win. Machida to win by decision +115 for a prop bet is a solid risk in this 3 rounder.

Jose Aldo (-800) vs. Chan Sung Jung (+550)

-800 for the high rollers is almost worth it here as next to nobody is giving the Korean Zombie a chance to walk away with Aldo’s belt this weekend. This is very much like the odds for Cain Velasquez vs Antonio Silva 2 (in case the first fight left anything to the imagination), with the public dismissing Bigfoot and calling squash match almost unanimously. There is the belief that Jung’s forward fighting style will give Aldo problems, which in retrospect, has been said about many of Aldo’s opponents until the champion connects with his patented leg kicks or “WTF was that?” jab and uppercut combos.

The prop betting on fight duration is interesting, seeing as Jung has no problem being hit. Starting with -114 that fight does not start 3rd round, -169 that fight does not start 4th round and finally -230 Aldo wins inside the distance. Aldo to win (and jump out of the Octagon then into the crowd before Bruce Buffer makes the official announcement).

Parlay 1

-Magalhaes+Machida+Aldo

Parlay 2

-Watson+McCall

Props

-Lineker vs Thome fight does not go the distance
-Magalhaes to win by submission
-Machida to win by decision
-Aldo to win inside the distance
-Aldo/Jung does not start round 3 or 4, your pick

Please share your thoughts on who you like CP nation. Enjoy the fights and may the winners be yours!

163 Jose Aldo vs. Korean Zombie Live Streaming Pre-Fight Press Conference

UFC 163 is set to take place on Saturday, August 3 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main event on the card will see featherweight champion Jose Aldo looking to extend his UFC featherweight division record…

UFC 163 is set to take place on Saturday, August 3 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main event on the card will see featherweight champion Jose Aldo looking to extend his UFC featherweight division record title defense streak to seven consecutive victories. The fighter that will be looking to end that run is fifth-ranked challenger Chan Sung Jung.

In addition to his six consecutive title defenses, Aldo (22-1) will bring a 15-fight winning streak with him to Brazil. For his part, Jung (13-3) has won his last three fights and earned Fight Night bonus awards in four of his last five outings.

Before the fight card takes place, several of the fighters will gather on Thursday for the pre-fight press conference. In attendance will be Jose Aldo, Chan Sung Jung, Lyoto Machida, Phil Davis, Cezar FerreiraThiago Santos, John Lineker and Jose Maria Tome.

The press conference will begin on Thursday, August 1 at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT and will be streamed live right here.

 

UFC 163 Full Fight Card

Jose Aldo vs. Chan Sung Jung

Phil Davis vs. Lyoto Machida

Cezar Ferreira vs. Thiago Santos

Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson

John Lineker vs. Jose Maria Tome

Vinny Magalhaes vs. Anthony Perosh

Sheila Gaff vs. Amanda Nunes

Neil Magny vs. Sergio Moraes

Ian McCall vs. Iliarde Santos

Josh Clopton vs. Rani Yahya

Francimar Barroso vs. Ednaldo Oliveira

Viscardi Andrade vs. Bristol Marunde

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 162 Aldo vs Korean Zombie Live Streaming Pre-Fight Press Conference

UFC 163 is set to take place on Saturday, August 3 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The main event on the card will see featherweight champion Jose Aldo looking to extend his UFC featherweight division record title defense stre…

UFC 163 is set to take place on Saturday, August 3 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The main event on the card will see featherweight champion Jose Aldo looking to extend his UFC featherweight division record title defense streak to seven consecutive victories. The fighter that will be looking to end that run is fifth-ranked challenger Chan Sung Jung.

In addition to his six consecutive title defenses, Aldo (22-1) will bring a 15-fight winning streak with him to Brazil. For his part, Jung (13-3) has won his last three fights and earned Fight Night bonus awards in four of his last five outings.

Before the fight card takes place, several of the fighters will gather on Thursday for the pre-fight press conference.  In attendance will be Jose Aldo, Chan Sung Jung, Lyoto Machida, Phil Davis, Cezar Ferreira, Thiago Santos, John Lineker and Jose Maria Tome.

The press conference will begin on Thursday, August 1 at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT and will be streamed live right here. 

 

UFC 163 Full Fight Card:

Jose Aldo vs. Chan Sung Jung

Phil Davis vs. Lyoto Machida

Cezar Ferreira vs. Thiago Santos

Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson

John Lineker vs. Jose Maria Tome

Vinny Magalhaes vs. Anthony Perosh

Sheila Gaff vs. Amanda Nunes

Neil Magny vs. Sergio Moraes

Ian McCall vs. Iliarde Santos

Josh Clopton vs. Rani Yahya

Francimar Barroso vs. Ednaldo Oliveira

Viscardi Andrade vs. Bristol Marunde

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 163 Preliminary Card Predictions

August 3, the UFC will make its return to Brazil with a featherweight championship bout between king of the mountain Jose Aldo and Korean challenger Chan Sung Jung. It is promised to be one of the most exciting main events of 2013.
Beyond a decent main…

August 3, the UFC will make its return to Brazil with a featherweight championship bout between king of the mountain Jose Aldo and Korean challenger Chan Sung Jung. It is promised to be one of the most exciting main events of 2013.

Beyond a decent main card, the event will also have a potentially crowd-pleasing preliminary card. It will feature names like Rani Yahya, Vinny Magalhaes and Ian McCall, showing that the undercard will have some star power.

Here is a look at the prelims and the predictions that will accompany them.

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