The Korean Zombie scored a major victory against the notion of ring rust to close out Saturday night's main card at UFC Fight Night 104.
After three-and-a-half years away from the Octagon, Chan Sung Jung came back to put on a vintage performance against Dennis Bermudez in the evening's main event.
Jung—who missed an extended period of time to complete mandatory military service for his native South Korea—didn't look perfect. In the early going, Bermudez was able to land some heavy shots that made it appear he might in fact be a little rusty, via the UFC:
But it just wouldn't be a typical Zombie performance if he didn't have to walk through some punishment to land his own attack.
Jung turned away multiple takedown attempts from his opponent to keep the fight standing, which ultimately paid off. All it took to turn the fight on its head was a massive uppercut that couldn't have landed more flush, via Fox Sports:
It was the kind of strike that boldly announces the return of one of the more exciting fighters in the sport. Patrick Wyman of Bleacher Report compared the aftermath to that of a signature moment for Jose Aldo:
Chamatkar Sandhu of MMA Junkie immediately started campaigning for The Korean Zombie as the Comeback Fighter of the Year for his performance:
Fellow WEC veteran Cub Swanson was one of many fighters who took to Twitter to congratulate Jung on his successful return to the Octagon:
The South Korean used his time in the spotlight to speak to his countrymen, via MMA Fighting:
Outside of the main event, the card featured plenty of interesting results. From some impressive UFC debuts to fun finishes, it was a card worth watching. Here's a look at the complete results from the evening and a closer look at the main card bouts.
UFC Fight Night 104 Quick Results
Main Card
- Chan Sung Jung def. Dennis Bermudez (knockout (Round 1, 2:49)
- Felice Herrig def. Alexa Grasso, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- James Vick def. Abel Trujillo, submission (Round 3, 0:49)
- Volkan Oezdemir def. Ovince Saint Preux, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Marcel Fortuna def. Anthony Hamilton, knockout (Round 1, 3:10)
- Jessica Andrade def. Angela Hill, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
FS1 Prelims
- Curtis Blaydes def. Adam Milstead, TKO (Round 2, 0:59)
- Chas Skelly def. Chris Gruetzemacher, submission (Round 2, 2:01)
- Ricardo Ramos def. Michinori Tanaka, unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
- Tecia Torres def. Bec Rawlings, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Fight Pass Prelims
- Niko Price def. Alex Morono, knockout (Round 2, 5:00)
- Khalil Rountree def. Daniel Jolly, knockout (Round 1, 0:52)
Alexa Grasso vs. Felice Herrig
Developing from prospect to an actual contender is a process that can take some time and experience. That's the lesson that Alexa Grasso had to take away from Fight Night 104.
The 23-year-old was handed her first loss by Felice Herrig by decision in the evening's co-main event.
The usually aggressive Grasso was uncharacteristically timid in her approach, likely because Herrig was consistent in finding a home with a crushing overhand right. The UFC passed along a perfect example from the second round:
As Connor Ruebusch of Bloody Elbow noted, it was simply a bizarre appearance for Grasso. Despite the lack of success, she seemed content to continue fighting with a conservative approach, and it ultimately cost her:
For Herrig, it was another step in the right direction. She's now strung together back-to-back wins since losing to Paige VanZant by decision in April 2015.
The rejuvenated Herrig wasted no time in bringing up PVZ as a possible opponent her next time out, via MMA Fighting:
Abel Trujillo vs. James Vick
An even matchup of lightweights on paper turned out to be a moment for James Vick to shine, as he locked up a third-round submission victory over Abel Trujillo in the lead-up to the co-main event.
The 6'3" lightweight was able to utilize his range to keep Trujillo at bay in the striking exchanges and used his leverage to maintain the advantage on the ground as well. Vick nearly locked up a D'Arce choke in the second frame, but the resilient Trujillo was able to break free and find the third round.
Unfortunately for Trujillo, Vick's knee also found his face to open up the third round, as the UFC showed:
As it turns out, defending D'Arce chokes is a little more complicated when someone's knee just collided with your skull. The Texas fighter latched on to the choke once again and was able to apply the pressure needed to bring the fight to a close this time in front of his home crowd.
Vick's win will go a long way to regain the momentum he lost in a loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 199. The lightweight made it known that he wants his next bout to also be in front of a Texas crowd when the UFC goes to Dallas in May, via MMA Fighting:
The loss is a big momentum killer for Trujillo, as it snapped a three-fight win streak.
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Volkan Oezdemir
Life comes at ya fast if you're Ovince Saint Preux. The light heavyweight veteran went from fighting Jon Jones for the interim light heavyweight champion to losing to UFC newcomer Volkan Oezdemir on a UFC Fight Night card.
Saint Preux was able to hang in with Jones for five rounds back in April 2016, but the former Tennessee Volunteer football player looked about as unimpressive as he's ever looked in losing to Oezdemir, even if he was able to win the fight on one of the cards.
Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report commented on this fight's boring nature:
In the end, this was a matchup that brought an interesting start to the main card for this event to a boring halt. Oezdemir won primarily on being the one who was slightly more aggressive, as OSP chose to consistently fight while backing up.
One of the few moments of action in this bout came with an exhausted Saint Preux trying to end the fight, via the UFC:
This is a nice win for Oezdemir in terms of name recognition in his UFC debut. However, if he wants to put himself on the map, he's going to need a more memorable performance next time out.
Anthony Hamilton vs. Marcel Fortuna
Marcel Fortuna's UFC debut went about as nicely as one could imagine.
The 31-year-old brought an interesting aesthetic into the ring: watching the 210.5-pound heavyweight take on an opponent in Anthony Hamilton who outweighed him by nearly 50 pounds.
But if the weight disparity was supposed to keep Fortuna from knocking out Hamilton, no one told him. He iced the UFC veteran in the first frame with a thunderous overhand right that landed flush on the big man's temple.
When asked why Fortuna would fight in the heavyweight division at just 210.5 pounds, he cited the fact that it was short notice, and it really didn't matter to him, via MMA Fighting:
Alrighty then.
Despite the knockout win, Fortuna's UFC future probably doesn't reside in the heavyweight division.
However, that kind of power does have a home in the light heavyweight division. That was actually Fortuna's first career knockout win, but he did come in to the bout with an 8-1 record that included five submissions.
With a willingness to step up when the promotion needs him and some skills to go along with it, this isn't likely to be the last time we see Fortuna in the Octagon.
Jessica Andrade vs. Angela Hill
The rise of Jessica Andrade as a contender in the women's strawweight division was one of the bigger storylines going into the night, and the Brazilian didn't do anything to weaken that plot. She looked the part in a strong unanimous-decision victory.
The 25-year-old was a nonstop whirlwind of violence in dispatching a dangerous opponent in Invicta strawweight champion Angela Hill. Andrade showed off the tenacity and varied attack that makes her a dangerous striker in the division.
Adam Martin of DraftKings noted some legitimate comparisons between the contender and fellow UFC fighter John Lineker:
The loss is a tough break for Hill, as she took on a big challenge in her return to the UFC but still can't seem to get her hand raised in the Octagon. She definitely had her moments, pushing Andrade late into the fight. Damon Martin of FoxSports.com noted Hill's performance in the loss:
This was one of those rare fights that probably saw both fighters' stock go up. Andrade came through as the title contender fans believe she could be, while Hill proved that she's more than capable of hanging with some of the best fighters in the division.
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