Following a three-year layoff due to military service, „The Korean Zombie,“ Chan Sung Jung, returned with an explosive performance as he knocked out top 10-ranked featherweight Dennis Bermudez in the opening round of their main event matchup in Houston.
Jung didn’t look like he missed a step during his time away as he wasted no time engaging in a fire fight with Bermudez, who came out willing to stand and trade with the always exciting „Korean Zombie.“
Bermudez landed the first big shot when he rocketed home a huge right hand that cracked Jung directly on the jaw. The Korea native ate the shot and then came back with some firepower of his own when he connected with a devastating uppercut that absolutely flattened Bermudez, bringing a stop to the fight midway through the first round.
Now according to fantasy players, Jung was a sizable underdog, with just 39 percent picking him to get the win against Bermudez, who came in as a heavy favorite at 61 percent as the night got underway. Ultimately, Jung knocked off his ring rust and then knocked out Bermudez to pull off the upset in the main event.
While Jung’s win may have been a surprise, Felice Herrig pulled off a huge underdog victory as she handed rising star Alexa Grasso the first defeat of her professional career. Herrig used superior striking and accuracy to outland Grasso for three rounds to move her UFC record to 3-1 overall with a very impressive showing in the co-main event.
Only 25 percent of players picked Herrig to win but, out of that number, another 68 percent had her getting the victory by decision, which is exactly how the fight played out.
The night of upsets continued with James Vick tapping out Abel Trujillo in a featured lightweight matchup on the main card. Vick was selected by just 30 percent of fantasy players, with another 53 percent picking him by decision, but he finished the fight with a slick D’Arce choke to get back in the win column in Houston.
As big as the upsets had been through the final three fights, nothing trumped the light heavyweight matchup on the main card where newcomer Volkan Oezdemir picked up a razor close split decision win over former title contender Ovince Saint Preux. Just 10 percent of players picked Oezdemir to get the win, but those who selected him also scored with a whopping 175-point bonus because he was such a massive underdog going into the night.
The Night of the Underdog continued with the heavyweights, as first time UFC competitor Marcel Fortuna scored a jaw-dropping knockout over Octagon veteran Anthony Hamilton after just 29 percent of fantasy players picked him going into the fight. As it turns out, the only favorite to get a win on the main card was No. 5-ranked strawweight Jessica Andrade, as she out dueled Angela Hill in a three-round slugfest that earned Fight of the Night honors.
Andrade was a heavy favorite, with 87 percent of players picking her going into the matchup with Hill.
On the prelim card, the favorites had better luck, with Curtis Blaydes dishing out a lopsided beatdown over Adam Milstead in heavyweight action after 74 percent of players selected him to win. Meanwhile, Chas Skelly used a nasty rear naked choke / neck crank combination to finish former Ultimate Fighter competitor Chris Gruetzemacher after 83 percent of players picked him to get the job done.
Tecia Torres also came through in a big way with a unanimous decision victory over Bec Rawlings after 82 percent of players picked her on Saturday night. Torres was ultimately one of the most lopsided picks because 81 percent of players also selected her to win by decision and that’s what she did after three rounds in the Octagon with Rawlings.
Two more favorites picked up victories on the early prelims as Niko Price had to survive an early scare to come back to knock out Alex Morono after 67 percent of players picked him, while Khalil Rountree slammed home a devastating first round knockout of Daniel Jolly, with a whopping 81 percent picking him to win.
All told, UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie ended with a split right down the middle, with six favorites and six underdogs getting wins on Saturday night according to the fight selections from fantasy players going into the event.
