Chan Sung Jung may have the biggest following of any fighter with a .500 record in Zuffa, and for good reason. The man is incredibly entertaining in the cage, with tireless cardio, constant pressure, and impressive offensive attributes in every area. After making an incredible impression in his WEC debut back in 2010, Jung moved over to the UFC in the merger and went 3-0 in the Octagon, earning a title shot against Jose Aldo. That title shot ended in one of the worst possible ways for the Korean Zombie, as his shoulder dislocated and allowed the champion to get the TKO finish. That was in August of 2013, and he has been out of action ever since. Earlier today the UFC announced that Jung will be making his return in October as one half of the co-main event for UFC Fight Night 53, which is to be held in Stockholm. Jung will be taking on Sweden’s own Akira Corassani. Corassani put up an excellent fight against Dustin Poirier in April despite being a massive betting underdog. The Swede was on a three-fight winning streak prior to that bout, and looks to get back into his winning ways on home soil. This fight should be very exciting, as Jung never disappoints and Corassani is more than willing to trade on the feet. Two things that push this bout clearly in Jung’s favor are his ground game and Akira’s chin. The Zombie will open a betting favorite, but the line will likely be a bit reduced to take into account his extended layoff. There were two more additions to UFC Fight Night 53 recently as well. Cathal Pendred will make his debut in the UFC welterweight division against Gasan Umalatov. Both men are coming off of victories in their most recent bouts and look to continue that momentum, but Pendred will likely be favored on the betting lines. Without the Irish crowd behind him Pendred may not be able to bounce back from the type of slow start he had against Mike King, but in his more natural weight class he might not get into the same type of trouble. The other announcement was a replacement rather than an entirely new bout. Amir Sadollah recently shifted from Fight Night 53 to Fight Night 52 to take on Yoshihiro Akiyama, and in his place Alexander Yakovlev will take on Nico Musoke in Stockholm. Yakovlev didn’t show much in his UFC debut other than being able to survive, while Musoke has made some steady improvements since joining the organization. The Swede will probably open as a moderate favorite on home soil, and he should take one of his several paths to victory. In addition to the Akiyama/Sadollah bout being created at Fight Night 52 because of Kyle Noke’s injury, Urijah Faber was also forced out of his bout against the debuting Masanori Kanehara. Faber’s most recent opponent will compete in his stead, as Alex Caceres will now welcome Kanehara to the Octagon in September. Caceres showed against Faber that while he isn’t quite capable of competing at an elite level as a bantamweight, he is far better than anyone expected when he came into the UFC. He’ll be a favorite against the Japanese veteran, and rightly so, as Kanehara has faltered against almost every step up in competition over the course of his career. Saturday night sees the combat sports train start to pick up some steam, as WSOF 12 and Metamoris 4 both take place, setting the table for the return of the UFC next week.
