UFC 163: August 3, 2013 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo (-505) Profile: The best featherweight MMA fighter the world has ever seen, UFC champion Jose Aldo (22-1) has no peer. His ferocious leg kicks, superlative takedown defense and incredible MMA skills translate into someone who was last defeated seven years ago and has matured into one of the most feared fighters on the planet. You could say Aldo has cleared out his entire division, sending Urijah Faber down to 135 pounds, retiring Kenny Florian, destroying the skull of Cub Swanson, and changing Mike Brown’s career forever after beating him for the WEC featherweight championship. The 26-year-old Brazilian is also coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and will take on former WEC standout and undefeated UFC fighter Chan Sung Jung, AKA the Korean Zombie. TKZ comes in on somewhat short notice after Anthony Pettis had to pull out of his featherweight debut with an injury. UFC Featherweight Chan Sung Jung (+335) Profile: “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (13-3), is one of the most lively breaths of fresh air to hit the MMA scene in years. Whether it be a stand-up war or a back-and-forth grappling battle, it’s almost impossible to keep him out of an exciting fight. Since making his WEC debut in a wild slugfest with Leonard Garcia at WEC 48, the 26-year-old Jung has gone from losing his first two stateside fights (to Garcia and George Roop) to winning all three of his UFC bouts. In the UFC, ”The Korean Zombie” has not only avenged his loss to Garcia with the only “twister” submission in the organization’s history, he also knocked out Mark Hominick in seven seconds to tie the UFC record and then defeated Dustin Poirier in what earned Fight of the Year for 2012. Post-Poirier, Jung has been recovering from a shoulder injury that has kept him out of action for nearly a year. TKZ was initially tabbed to battle fellow featherweight contender Ricardo Lamas, but was instead pulled into the featherweight title fight when number one contender, Anthony Pettis, was injured in the early summer. Opening UFC 160 Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Aldo a sizeable -505 favorite (bet $505 to win $100) while Jung opened as a +335 underdog (bet $100 to win $335) at Several Bookmakers sportsbook. Based on both fighters’ careers to date, the line is justified as Aldo has won 15-straight fights against high-level competition and is the reigning and defending champion, while Jung has put together a nice win streak over some lesser opponents. That’s not to say Jung can’t get the upset, though, as “The Korean Zombie” improves every fight and has some power in his hands and submissions in his tool bag that can give Aldo some problems, but Aldo is a very seasoned striker and if Jung tries to fight him like a zombie like he did against Leonard Garcia and George Roop, it could be a short night for him.
