MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Fight Night 154, a five-round featherweight bout between Renato Moicano and Chan Sung Jung. The event takes place this Saturday, June 22 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
Renato Moicano (-210)
Moicano (13-2-1) is 30-years-old and is 5-2 overall in the UFC. The Brazilian began his UFC career in 2014 and has since gone on to become one of the best featherweights on the roster, with notable victories over Cub Swanson, Calvin Kattar and Jeremy Stephens. He has lost twice in the UFC, with stoppage defeats to Jose Aldo and Brian Ortega. Moicano is a very solid and well-rounded mixed martial artist. He has solid striking skills, good takedown defense, and a slick submission game. Although he was knocked out by Aldo in his last fight, he actually won the first round become succumbing to a vintage performance by Aldo in the second round. Had Moicano won that fight, we would be talking about a title contender right now. Instead, he lost the fight and now Moicano will need to get a couple wins to get back into title contention. A big win here over The Korean Zombie would certainly be a step in the right direction, especially if it’s an exciting fight as most predict it will be.
Chan Sung Jung (+175)
Jung (14-5) is 32-years-old and is 4-2 overall in the UFC. The South Korea native is one of the most consistently exciting fighters in UFC history, having won six post-fight bonus awards in six UFC bouts. His list of notable victories includes Dustin Poirier, Mark Hominick, and Dennis Bermudez. He is coming off of a last-second KO loss to Yair Rodriguez in one of the best MMA fights of all time, but it was a fight that arguably raised his stock and earned him yet another main event slot. Jung is a high-paced fighter known for his knockout power and his creative submission game, having earned the first Twister submission win in UFC history over Leonard Garcia back in 2011. The problem with Jung is twofold. One, he barely fights, having taken numerous long layoffs in his career due to injuries and mandatory military service. And two, his striking defense, as he’s been knocked out five times in his career. He’s always in a good fight, but it’s hard to say for sure if he’s a true title contender or not.
Fight Breakdown: This should be an incredibly exciting fight between two fighters who match up really well with each other stylistically. Both men prefer to stand and trade on the feet, but both can finish the fight on the ground if it goes there. Both men have a path to victory in this fight. However, I tend to lean towards Moicano to get his hand raised. He’s the more technical striker and he seems to have the stronger chin, having been knocked out just once in his career. Jung’s chin is certainly a concern with five career knockout losses, especially coming off of a brutal KO loss to Rodriguez. You can’t write off Jung completely in this fight because he has knockout power, but Moicano should be able to land the better strikes and evade Jung’s power shots. Considering the fight is set for five rounds, there should be a high-percentage chance of a finish in this fight. If I had to make a prediction, it will be Moicano landing the knockout blow. But regardless of who wins, this should be a great fight, and the fans in Greenville and those watching on ESPN+ are certainly in for a treat.
Prediction: Renato Moicano wins via TKO
