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[스포츠서울 | 이주상기자] Can Underdog ‘Korean Zombie’ Chan-seong Jung (35) be the first in Korea to wear the UFC champion belt?
UFC 273 takes place on the 10th (Korean time) in Jacksonville, Florida. The main title is the third defense of featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovsky (33, Australia), and his opponent is Korea’s Chan-seong Jeong. For Chansung Jung, this title fight is his second time in his career. The first was at UFC 213, held in 2013, where he challenged then-champion Jose Aldo, but withdrew after losing by TKO in the fourth round.
Chansung Jung is challenging for the title again after 8 years, but the outlook is not so bright. Initially, Volkanovsky’s third defense opponent was former champion Max Holloway. Volkanovski defeated Holloway at UFC 245 in 2019 to become the fifth-generation featherweight champion. As the decision-winner said, the content of the match was very heavy, so the first defense was a rematch with Holloway. Again, he defeated Holloway by decision, but won by split. It was a tighter match than the first game, so fans have been constantly demanding the third game. However, before Game 3, Holloway was injured and gave up the game, and Chansung Jang was selected as a replacement player.
Chan-Sung Jung was selected as the opponent for the 3rd defense due to the influence of Volkanovsky and the approval of UFC President Dana White. From Volkanovsky’s point of view, Chan-Sung Jung was seen as a downhill player and could easily succeed in defense, and as White representative, Chan-Sung Jung was selected as a challenger because of his personal preference and marketability. After the match was confirmed, Chan-seong Jung moved to the United States early and is preparing for the match with the help of coach Eddie Cha and Henry Cejudo, who served as a two-weight champion.
Major foreign presses predicted Volkanovsky’s dominance, citing career and details. In particular, it drew attention by showing a huge gap with Volkanovsky in the odds. All major betting companies, such as Bet365, evaluated Chan-seong Jung as an underdog, but Volkanovsky promoted it as a top dog. The overall betting as well as the details such as the punches and the ground were Volkanovsky’s dominance. Bet365, a global betting company, rated Chansung Jung at +550 and Volkanovsky at -800. This means that when you bet 1 million won, if Chansung Jeong wins, you win 6.5 million won, and if Volkanovsky wins, you win 1125,000 won. The large gap between Volkanovsky’s odds and Chansung Jung’s is proof that betting companies expect Volkanovsky’s victory because it is interpreted that it is not easy to make money. Another company, Betway, came up with similar figures.
Martial arts critic Choi Woo-seok, who runs ‘MOOZINE’, a martial arts media, said, “It is natural for betting companies to unilaterally lose Chan-Sung Jung. Champion Volkanovsky defeated Chan-Sung Jung or defeated all the powerful players in the top ranking that he had never experienced before, and Chan-Sung Jung did not. As gamblers who have no choice but to be cold-hearted with money, they have no choice but to evaluate based on the results that are currently available.”
However, “Jung Chan-seong is a tireless fighter. There are countless examples of players who overturned the game after being inferior. If Chan-Sung Jung has a secret plan to outwit Volkanovsky, the story could be different. In particular, in addition to the coaches he has always worked with, such as Eddie Cha, top classes in each field, such as Henry Cejudo, who won two weight classes, flyweight and bantamweight, are helping Chan-sung Jung, so I don’t know what strategy he will come up with before the showdown.” left room
rainbow@sportsseoul.com
