Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) staged its last event of 2019 last night (Sat., Dec. 21, 2019) from inside Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. In the main event of the evening, Chan Sung Jung knocked out Frankie Edgar in the very first round (highlights). In UFC Fight Night 165’s co-main event, Volkan Oezdemir defeated Aleksander Rakic after three rounds of intense action via split decision (recap).
Winner: Chan Sung Jung
Who He Should Face Next: Alexander Volkanovski title fight
Max Holloway isn’t too sure an immediate title shot will be in his future, so that means the next championship fight at 145 pounds should go to “The Korean Zombie.” He absolutely destroyed Frankie Edgar and has won three of four overall. The only other thing I can see happening is the promotion opting to book Jung vs. Brian Ortega again, but at this point in time, that ship has seemingly sailed. While I do hope that fight gets booked down the road, now is not the time as Jung deserves a shot at UFC gold.
Winner: Volkan Oezdemir
Who He Should Face Next: Glover Teixeira
Both Oezdemir and Teixiera are coming off wins, as the latter is the owner of three straight wins, while “No Time” has won two straight, including his split-decision win over Aleksander Rakic last night. Oezdemir is ranked one spot ahead of “Hands of Stone” at No. 7, so you know Teixeira would love to surpass him and get closer to another crack at gold. For Oezdemir, getting three straight by defeating Teixiera will be a good way to get back into the Top 5.
Winner: Charles Jourdain
Who He Should face Next: Gabriel Benitez
Jourdain picked up his first UFC win by throttling Doo Ho Choi, earning himself a nice $50,000 bonus check just in time for Christmas. And while he is busy moving out of his parent’s basement, he can start looking forward to a fight against Benitez, who was knocked out in his last fight at UFC 241 by Sodiq Yousef. Benitez has been fighting for UFC since 2014 but has been unable to get any type of momentum going. Stopping Jourdain from picking up steam would be a nice feather in his cap, while Jourdain can prove he’s ready to make his own run by taking out a legit veteran. This seems like the right move for both men.
Winner: Da Un Jung
Who He Should Face Next: Kennedy Nzechukwu
Jung made it two straight inside the Octagon by obliterating Mike Rodriguez via first round knockout (see it). But the challenges will only get tougher from here. A fight against Nzechukwu seems like a good fit. Both are simply trying to climb the ranks little little in their young UFC careers, and it’s a good test for both. Nzechukwu has some heavy hands, as does Da Un, so this fight has the makings of an all out brawl ready to take home “Fight of the Night” honors.
Winner: Kyung Ho Kang
Who He should Face Next: Luke Sanders
Kang has been fighting for UFC for more than six years now, and has won six of his last seven, including his last three fights. Up next, I’d like to see him take on Luke Sanders, who was last seen toppling form Bantamweight champion, Renan Barao, earlier this year. He should be ready to return to action after an extended sit. The 135-pound weight class recently got a bit more stacked with the addition of Jose Aldo and the eventual debut of Frankie Edgar, so both Kang and Sanders have to work a bit harder, win more and wow the masses to get into the mix.
For complete UFC Busan results and coverage click here.
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