UFC 162: July 6, 2013 MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada UFC Featherweight Contender Ricardo Lamas (-135) Profile: Ricardo Lamas (13-2) made his way to the UFC from the WEC’s lightweight division after experiencing mixed results with a 4-2 mark in the California-based promotion. The highlight of his WEC career may have been his first-round knockout of Bendy Casimir by flying knee at WEC 47 on March 6, 2010. In the UFC, Lamas decided to make the cut to featherweight and has been undefeated at 4-0 with impressive victories over Matt Grice, Cub Swanson, Hatsu Hioki and Erik Kock. The 30-year-old Chicago area native trains with many notable martial artists at Team Top Notch in Elmhurst, Illinois. He was an All-American Division III wrestler at Elmhurst College and earned a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under world champion Daniel Valverde. Lamas’ standup should not be underestimated either, as he also has impressive Muay Thai skills. He is coming off a bloody knockout of Koch at UFC on FOX 6 and figured to be in the mix for a title shot against champion Jose Aldo until the champ decided to take a fight against lightweight contender Anthony Pettis, who will drop to 145 for a chance to win a UFC belt. UFC Featherweight Contender Chan Sung Jung (-105) 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 nine months. Opening UFC 162 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Lamas a slim -135 favorite (bet $135 to win $100) while Jung opened as a -105 underdog at Several Bookmakers sportsbook. Depending on what happens after Aldo meets Pettis for the UFC featherweight title later this year, the winner of this bout between Lamas and Jung could be next in line for a shot at the belt. There is also a possibility that the winner could face the winner between Chad Mendes and Darren Elkins in a title eliminator fight, as those two are scheduled to square off at UFC on FOX 7 in April. Needless to say, there is a lot on the line in this matchup between two Top 10 MMA featherweights. Jung will be off for more than a year by the time he gets back into the Octagon, so it will be interesting to see if he has any ring rust in his return. Meanwhile, Lamas has been fairly active since making his featherweight debut in June of 2011 with four bouts, all resulting in wins in the UFC. However, this looks to be his toughest test yet against an opponent who will undoubtedly come out aggressive as always and look to push the pace. Jung has earned post-fight bonuses in four of his past five bouts, so MMA bettors would be wise to place a wager on Fight of the Night here. In a bout that is essentially a Pick’em, it’s hard to say who has the edge considering both fighters seem to be peaking in their respective careers. All we can hope for is that it lives up to the billing.
