Jacksonville, FL – The UFC featherweight division has a rich history of champions with the likes of the legend Jose Aldo, Max Holloway and Conor McGregor. Alexander Volkanovski continues to make his case as one of the best to ever do it at 145 pounds.
Originally set to face Holloway in what would be the trilogy fight, although Volkanovski leads 2-0 at the moment, the champion instead took on Chang Sung Jung “The Korean Zombie”.
With Holloway suffering an injury Zombie was available and stepped up to take the title shot.
Would Volkanovski solidify his position as one of the all-time great UFC featherweights? Or will Zombie take this opportunity to cement his legacy as a legendary fighter? We found out at UFC 273 on Saturday night in Florida.
The first round and it was apparent that Volkanovski would enjoy the speed and quickness advantage. Zombie seemed unprepared to deal with the speed of the boxing Volkanovski brought to the fight. At the same time he ate a lot of leg kicks and that opened up the hands for Volkanovski.
Second round was more of the same with Volkanovski mixing in takedowns and dominating positions. Zombie showed courage fighting to get back to his feet, but with Volkanovski so sharp and quick it really makes one wonder how long this one will go.
Third round was almost exactly the same. Zombie showing toughness lasting this long, but at the end of the round he was dropped by Volkanovski and the champion swarmed him. However that was at the end of the round and Herb Dean did not stop the fight.
Dean called the doctor in to check on Zombie. He asked him if he wanted to fight and Zombie said he did. Onto the fourth we went.
The fourth round did not last long with Dean keep an eye on Zombie. Volkanovski went back to his game landing heavy shots on Zombie and it took a heavy right hand rocking Zombie for Herb Dean to call the fight.
For Volkanovski this is another step towards silencing those who believe he isn’t a great champion. The Holloway bouts, and defeating Ortega should have been enough but defeating a legend is a feather in the cap.
Official Result: Alexander Volkanovski def. The Korean Zombie via R4 :45 TKO
