UFC Fight Night: Dennis Bermudez vs 'Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung

UFC welterweight and commentator Dan Hardy looks ahead to this weekend’s featherweight clash as the UFC heads to Houston, Texas

(Getty)

This weekend’s main event bout between Dennis Bermudez and Chan Sung Jung is expected to be a wild gunfight between two highly conditioned and aggressive fighters. The highly anticipated return of the man known as the “Korean Zombie” has the hard core fans counting down the days. Jung is known for his crazy shootout with the equally reckless and exciting Leonard Garcia, back in the WEC days. That tilt won ‘Fight of the Year’ in 2010 and is still talked about to this day. Jung lost that first bout against Garcia by split decision, but upon being signed by UFC he won the rematch by Twister, which is a very rare submission made famous by Eddie Bravo. It’s so rare in fact, that Jung won ‘Submission of the Year’ in 2011 for that victory.

Jung won two more bouts - against Mark Hominick in 2011 and Dustin Poirier 2012 - and in August of 2013 found himself standing across the Octagon from Jose Aldo, for the UFC featherweight title. It wasn’t his night and Aldo retained his belt with a fourth round stoppage. That was the last time we saw the Korean Zombie in the Octagon. He is without a doubt one of the most exciting fighters we have on the UFC roster and his absence seems to have accentuated this excitement around his upcoming fight. Having returned to South Korea and served his compulsory national service, he is back on the scene and looking to make some waves.

Welcoming him back to professional competition is a strong wrestler with finishing capabilities in all ranges. Currently ranked number nine, Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez will want to shut Jung out and deny him any relevance in the top 10 of the division. With wins over the likes of Clay Guida, Tatsuya Kawajiri and soaring Hawaiian, Max Holloway, there can be no doubt that Bermudez has the tools to beat anyone in the division. To claim a victory over Jung may not alter his position in the rankings significantly, but it would make a very important statement that he is willing to take risky fights and beat tricky and unpredictable opposition.

What fascinates me here is that Jung is somewhat of an unknown commodity. We saw before his hiatus that he can and will stand and trade with anyone, he can take a hell of a shot (hence the “Zombie” monicker), and has a very diverse grappling attack. What has his time in the army taught him? Will he be fitter and stronger? Has he spent time studying the sport from afar and growing his fight IQ? I certainly know from personal experience that a break in competition, even as long as three or four years, can alter the way you see the sport and allow for a better understanding of the overall picture once you can remove yourself from it for a period.

Bermudez brings consistency in competition to the table, something that cannot be overlooked. Fighters always talk about getting their timing down as they sharpen up in the remaining weeks before a fight. This is referring to the ability to read an opponent, decide what is coming, how you deal with it and what counter you select. We are talking about fractions of a second, but at this level those fractions can mean the difference between retaining your consciousness, or temporarily relinquishing it to a punch on the chin. It’s far easier to maintain this timing if the gap between training camps is short, and in the time between now and Jung’s last bout, Bermudez has fought seven times.

“The Menace” is also the shorter, more compact athlete of the two. Giving up a couple of inches in height, but more significantly, six inches in reach. This could work in his favour however, as long as he has the confidence to step into range and close the distance down. If he can make it a close range fight then all he will have to concern himself with is the ground game of Jung. Anyone that has watched one of the “Korean Zombie’s” fights will know that he can take a shot well, but that is because we’ve seen him take punches to land them and keep walking forward. Bermudez may feel like he can land heavy punches and get out before he takes any himself. In which case, this could become a very interesting boxing match.

In the co-main event we have undefeated MMA starlet Alexa Grasso, taking on veteran Felice Herrig. Sitting in 12th position in the women’s strawweight rankings, Grasso is edging her way to some very challenging opposition, and Herrig will be the perfect litmus test for that step towards the title. Herrig has been campaigning for some time and has an excellent ground game to go with her high level fight experience. Being the first to hand defeat to an unbeaten fighter is a special achievement in its own right, especially when the winning fighter has made it to the UFC without a loss on their record. Can Grasso make it to double figures with her unbeaten streak, or will Felice rain on her parade and demand an elevated ranking spot of her own?

Watch UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. Korean Zombie live on BT Sport 2 from 1am GMT on the morning of Sunday February 5th, or catch the Early Prelims exclusively on UFC Fight Pass from midnight GMT