Bermudez vs. Korean Zombie Results: Winner and Reaction from UFC Fight Night 104

The Korean Zombie is back, ladies and gentlemen! After an incredibly long layoff, featherweight Chan Sung Jung overcame the odds and scored a gorgeous first-round knockout win at the expense of No. 9-ranked Dennis Bermudez at UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston on Saturday.

Naturally, the fight was as messy and brutal as his nickname would suggest. Within just a few seconds, Bermudez was teasing Jung with takedowns, forcing him to lower his hands and opening up avenues for big overhands that landed early and often. Jung's chin remains a steely as ever, though, which allowed him to stalk forward, despite absorbing serious punishment. 

As Bermudez grew more confident, his jabs became less disciplined; Jung identified this and punished him for it with a devastating uppercut. The punch folded Bermudez in place, and a bit of ground-and-pound sealed the deal.

After more than three years out of action, Jung scored a victory over a top-10 opponent via TKO at 2:49 of the first round.

To say the odds were stacked against him  would be a profound understatement. Entering this bout, the Korean Zombie had not been seen in the Octagon since his ill-fated title shot opposite Jose Aldo in 2013, which he lost via TKO after dislocating his shoulder. That injury forced him out of the cage for over a year and plagued him through 2014, forcing him out of a return bout at UFC Fight Night 53 and into his two years of mandatory military service in his native South Korea.

Traditionally, a long, involuntary layoff for a popular star would be followed by a relatively easy opponent to both gauge where he stacks up in a wildly different division and let him shake off some ring rust. The UFC, however, inexplicably pitted him against a top-10 opponent, putting him into a high-risk, high-reward position.

From a technical standpoint, this doesn't mark a turning point for Jung, given how much damage he absorbed in the early stages of the fight. From a promotional perspective, however, the significance of this win cannot be understated.

In a division that is big on talent but short on star power, Jung's victory comes at the perfect time and sets him up for a big fight, and possibly even a title eliminator. Granted, the championship queue is muddled with three men holding belts at this time. The Zombie can't be too far off from forcing his way into that discussion, though, and if he looks better in his next outing, he may just be a real threat to the elites at 145 pounds.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 104 Results: Winners, Scorecards for Bermudez vs. Korean Zombie

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. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Grasso vs. Herrig Results: Winner and Reaction from UFC Fight Night 104

Felice Herrig warned before UFC Fight Night 104 that she would be more than just a measuring stick for up-and-coming strawweight star Alexa Grasso, per Fox Sports' Damon Martin.

Saturday night during the pair's co-main event bout, Herrig made good on her word.

The 32-year-old veteran befuddled and outworked Grasso during their 15 minutes together at Toyota Center in Houston, emerging with a unanimous-decision victory that dealt one of the UFC's top rookies the first setback of her professional career.

Herrig bested Grasso in all areas, most surprisingly taking it to the highly touted prospect on the feet—where most observers expected Grasso to have a significant advantage.

"I think people forget [my skills]," Herrig told UFC color commentator Brian Stann in the cage when it was over. "They call me a grappler now because I've won by so many submissions, but I was a four-time champion in kickboxing."

The victory was Herrig's second straight in the Octagon and advanced her record to 3-1 in the UFC.

Perhaps at least some of the motivation to beat Grasso stemmed from Herrig's April 2015 loss to Paige VanZant. In that bout, she fell victim to one of the UFC's fast-rising potential drawing cards. In the wake of it, Herrig took 15 months away from the cage to get her mindset together. She has not lost since.

During her post-fight interview with Stann, she called the loss to VanZant her "rock bottom" and then called out the 22-year-old rookie for a rematch.

"Paige, you have not fought Felice Herrig," she said. "You fought some blubbering girl who just laid on the canvas and let you beat her."

Herrig seemed determined not to let the same thing happen against Grasso.

Insiders have pointed to Grasso as a potential breakout star since before her arrival in the UFC. She went 4-0 in the all-female Invicta FC from 2014 through mid-2016 and made her promotional debut with the world's largest MMA organization at the live finale of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 3 in November 2016 with a convincing win over Heather Jo Clark.

Grasso came into this bout around a 3-to-1 favorite, according to Odds Shark. Once the fight started, however, it proved to be Herrig's night.

She came out of her corner aggressively, pressuring Grasso with punching combinations and the occasional takedown. Grasso never seemed to find her rhythm and looked content to spend the majority of the fight on the outside, flicking out low kicks and trying to make Herrig miss.

The only substantive action in the first round came when Grasso tried to throw a jumping kick at Herrig's head but lost her balance and wound up on the canvas. Grasso tried to transition to a heel hook, but Herrig squirmed out and got back to her feet.

The second and third rounds progressed in much the same tepid fashion. Grasso didn't appear to feel much urgency, and every time she did come forward to fire off strikes, Herrig countered well with her right hand.

Grasso turned up the heat in the third, but it proved to be too little, too late. The fiercest striking exchange of the fight came during the final minute, when Grasso might have hurt Herrig with a punch. Herrig weathered it, and after the final horn sounded the judges awarded her the verdict (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

 

It's unclear where the victory will leave Herrig. She came into the bout unranked in the 115-pound division. The UFC won't likely give her that rematch with VanZant, who is just 1-2 in her last three fights and in need of a career rehabilitation.

If the UFC brass want to hand Herrig a stiff upgrade in competition, a compelling future opponent could be former Invicta FC strawweight champion Angela Hill.

Hill lost a slugfest to top contender Jessica Andrade in the first fight on Fight Night 104's televised main card, but she made her case that she belongs among the best fighters in the world.

If not Hill, either No. 11 Jessica Aguilar or No. 7 Michelle Waterson (who Herring also called out after the fight) would shape up as recognizable next foes.

Meanwhile, Grasso goes back to the drawing board. Bleacher Report's Patrick Wyman tweeted after the fight that the 23-year-old phenom may need to switch things up in her training, perhaps leaving her Lobo Gym for something a bit more high profile:

As a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, Grasso could still eventually join Yair Rodriguez as an important cog in the UFC's drive to establish a foothold in that country's crazed fight market. She might even develop into an intriguing challenger for dominant UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

For now, however, the UFC will need to build her back up after her first professional loss. It will likely be awhile before she finds herself in a main event or co-main event situation again.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bermudez vs. Korean Zombie Results: UFC Fight Night 104 Winner, Scorecard, Recap

Chan Sung Jung lived up to his Korean Zombie moniker at UFC Fight Night 104, resurrecting his career from the dead with a first-round TKO win over Dennis Bermudez in the main event after three-and-a-half years away from the Octagon. 

MMA Junkie tweeted out the official time of the stoppage:

The opening salvo didn't necessarily look great for the South Korean. Early takedown attempts from Bermudez were denied, but he was able to catch Jung flush with multiple strikes early on. The UFC passed along the highlight of one of Bermudez's early strikes:

The Zombie's time away from the cage hasn't affected his chin, though. Jung was able to hang in long enough to find just the right opening and crash a massive uppercut to the chin of Bermudez to end his night and complete the comeback. 

Fox Sports tweeted out the vicious end to the bout:

Connor Ruebusch of Bloody Elbow praised the setup from the victor:

With the official return of one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, it's fun to speculate who Jung will fight next. Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com got things started by throwing out Cub Swanson as a possibility:

Jeff Wagenheim of the Washington Post gave some context to just how long The Korean Zombie has been gone:

The career arc of The Korean Zombie is certainly an interesting one. The 29-year-old was considered one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC after transitioning from WEC, stringing together three straight victories that all netted him a performance of the night bonus. 

However, Jung was not successful in his bid against Jose Aldo for the featherweight title in 2013, and that was the last that fans had seen of him. Jung chose to fill his two years of mandatory military service to his native South Korea, thus putting his MMA career on hold. 

The time spent away from the sport was never fully spent away from the sport, though. The dynamic fighter described the training he did while in the military, per Thomas Gerbasi of the UFC's official website:

Because of all of the injuries and surgeries I had due to MMA, I was placed in a government office job and was able to commute from home. So, when I was done with work, I had time to go to the gym and train. I didn't go at it as intensely as if I was preparing for a fight, but I was able to stay in decent shape, really sharpen and develop my skills and to rehab some old nagging injuries.

With some of those injuries apparently rehabbed and a new perspective on fighting. Jung is an interesting fighter in the division going forward. He obviously has a track record of being worthy of fighting for a title, and this win over Bermudez does nothing to harm that profile. 

Bermudez has long been one of the underrated fighters in the featherweight division. The former Ultimate Fighter runner-up has now amassed a 9-3 record since losing to Diego Brandao in the final years ago, with one of those wins coming against current interim champion Max Holloway. 

Bermudez came in as a Top 10 fighter in the division looking to make the step up to bona fide contender. Now, it appears that The Korean Zombie might be the forgotten contender looking for a big jump up the rankings. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 104: The Real Winners and Losers from Houston Fight Card

The UFC helped keep the Super Bowl party going in Houston with UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston.

The return of "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung against Dennis Bermudez headlined the event. It was everything one could hope for as Jung returned in style as Bermudez made it a scrap.

In the co-main event, Felice Herrig touched up Alexa Grasso to stymie her rise in the strawweight division.

But those are just the results.

Look beyond just those results to see who the real winners and losers are and why. And that's what we're here to do.

These are the results following UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston.

Begin Slideshow