UFC on ESPN+ 23 took place this morning, Saturday, December 21, 2019, in Busan, South Korea. The card was headlined by an featherweight bout between former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and former featherweight title challenger Chan Sung Jung.
Closing odds are courtesy of Several Bookmakers. Here’s a quick recap of each of those fights.
Favorites that Won
Chan Sung Jung showcased his power, landing big shots against veteran Frankie Edgar, eventually finishing the American near the fence just past the midway point of the first round. Jung was a -195 favorite while Edgar was +165.
Kyung Ho Kang had to work for his split decision victory over Liu Pingyuan despite being a -260 betting favorite. Pingyuan was a +210 dog.
The biggest betting favorite on the card Ciryl Gane easily won all three rounds, including taking a 10-8 round against an over matched Tanner Boser. Gane was -645 while Boser was +450.
Seung Woo Choi easily destroyed Suman Mokhtarian in one of the most lopsided fights on the card. Choi was a -345 favorite while Mokhtarian was a +275 underdog.
Omar Morales did more than enough, even earning a 10-8 scorecard while defeating Dong Hyn Ma via unanimous decision. Morales was a heavy -245 favorite while Ma was a +195 dog.
Alexandre Pantoja ate some big shots, but he landed the one that mattered, knocking out Matt Schnell in the final minute of the first round. Pantoja came through as a -300 betting favorite while Schnell closed at +240.
Underdogs that Won
Volkan Oezdemir proved his veteran status, earning a split decision over a game Aleksander Rakic to hand the Austian his first UFC loss. Oezdemir was a +120 underdog while Rakic was -140.
Charles Jourdain pulled off the shocker of the night, earning a second round TKO against crowd favorite Doo Ho Choi. Jordain was a massive +320 underdog while Choi was a -420 favorite.
Da Un Jung took care of business against Mike Rodriguez, knocking Rodriguez out in the first round. Jung was a +100 underdog while Rodriguez was a slight -120 favorite.
Jun Yon Park earned his first UFC victory by winning a decision against Marc-Andre Barriault. Park was a +110 dog while Barriault was -130.
Raoni Barcelos put on a tremendous performance to keep his unbeaten UFC record intact, outworking Said Nurmagomedov over the course of three rounds to win a unanimous decision. Barcelos was a +100 underdog while Nurmagomedov was a -120 favorite.
Amanda Lemos showed no signs of ring rust after a long layoff, choking Miranda Granger unconscious with a modified rear naked choke in the first round. Lemos was a +170 underdog while Granger lost as a -200 favorite.
In the opening bout of the event, Heili Alatang eked out a close split decision against Ryan Benoit in a bantamweight contest. Alatang closed as a +100 underdog while Benoit was -120.
