Thoughts and analysis on the key storylines coming out of UFC Busan, which saw Chan Sung Jung stop Frankie Edgar in the main event.
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 23 in Busan, South Korea? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Frankie Edgar’s future unclear
It’s hard to assess [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] after his TKO loss to [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag]. He got hurt and stopped in the first round. But before the finish, he showed the trademark durability that’s given him a reputation as one of the toughest fighters in MMA history.
We’ve seen from Jung’s highlight reel that he’s one of the hardest hitters at 145 pounds, so losing to him via strikes isn’t exactly an indictment on Edgar. Many others have met the same fate, but because Edgar is 38 and had only been stopped by strikes once prior, the questions about how much he’s lost will come up.
There’s no doubt Edgar has endured a lot of punishment in his more than seven hours of UFC fight time, which is the most in company history. Perhaps the loss to Jung marked the beginning of a downward trajectory, but with Edgar being just one fight removed from competing for UFC gold, more evidence is still needed.
Edgar will likely make the drop to bantamweight next in a long overdue move. Whenever that does happen, a close eye will surely be kept on “The Answer.”
“The Korean Zombie”, Volkan Oezdemir and Charles Jourdain were among those with specific names in mind for their next fight after UFC on ESPN+ 23.
Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.
So after Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 23 event in Busan, South Korea, who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.
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First up, let’s take a look at the night’s prelim winners.
Alexandre Pantoja
Wants to fight:[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (for the UFC flyweight title)
The callout: “I think that I’m the next in line for the title. I’ve shown it many times. Maybe it wasn’t my day in that fight (at UFC 240) against Deiveson, but I know I can come back better. My team and I we went over that fight many times. We analyzed it and saw what I could improve. There is always room for improvement, and I’m striving for perfection. I really hope Deiveson wins, and we are able to run it back, this time for the title.”
The reality: The UFC’s flyweight division is wide open once again following Henry Cejudo’s decision to relinquish the 125-pound title, and the crowning of a new champion when Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez meet on Feb. 29 will mark the beginning of a new era for the division.
Pantoja is certainly within touching distance of a title shot, but may actually be better off hoping for a Benavidez win, especially considering the recent form of the division’s other top contender, Jussier Formiga.
Formiga’s last outing saw him lose to Benavidez, which would seemingly give Pantoja a stronger case for the next shot if Benavidez captures the belt. But prior to that defeat, Formiga defeated Figueiredo which, you would assume, would make his case for the first shot more compelling if his fellow countryman wins the title in Norfolk.
UFC on ESPN+ 23 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
BUSAN – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 23 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $121,000.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC on ESPN+ 23 took place Saturday at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 23 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2019 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
“UFC on ESPN+ 23: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie” – $121,000
Four fighters took home $50,000 bonuses following UFC on ESPN+ 23 – one of whom explained exactly why he needed the cash.
[autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag], [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag], [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] and [autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag] all walked away from UFC on ESPN+ 23 with an extra $50,000 for their efforts.
“The Korean Zombie” again emerged as a top featherweight contender when he scored a first-round finish over former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the night’s main event from Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. He earned his second straight “Performance of the Night” bonus, thrilling his home crowd.
Jung has now earned a staggering eight bonuses in eight UFC appearances.
Pantoja also emerged as a top contender in the flyweight division when he starched the streaking Matt Schnell in the first round following a wild, high-paced four minutes of action. The finish also earned him the “Performance of the Night” bonus.
After a slow first round against Choi, Canada’s Jourdain rallied back, silencing the Korean fans by taking out the returning “Korean Superboy” in the second round. After the fight, he pleaded for the $50,000 bonus, saying he needed the money to get out of his parents’ basement.
Ask, and you shall receive.
His back-and-forth battle with Choi earned both men the “Fight of the Night” bonus.
Brazilian flyweight contender Alexandre Pantoja stunned Matt Schnell with a first-round KO, then called for a shot at the UFC’s 125-pound title.
Seasoned fight fans scanning the fight card ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 23 in South Korea will have circled the flyweight clash between [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] and [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] as one to keep a close eye on.
And the two Top 10 125-pounders delivered a crazy back-and-forth slugfest that eventually ended with a huge first-round knockout victory for Pantoja as the Brazilian staked a spectacular claim for a shot at the UFC flyweight title.
The bout opened up with a wild striking exchange between the pair before the pace settled and the two fighters looked to work an opening for their strikes. Clearly, takedowns and grappling were secondary to the gameplans of both men as they planted their feet and swung for the fences, and Pantojoa hit paydirt with a huge right hand that sent Schnell face-planting into the canvas as referee Marc Goddard dived in to end the contest at the 4:17 mark.
It was a statement victory for Pantoja, who came through the 24th season of The Ultimate Fighter with Schnell. And the Brazilian admitted the pair were good friends, despite their all-out war inside the cage in Busan.
“This guy is very good,” he said after the fight. “He’s my friend. Me and him came to Korea to make a big show.
“He’s an excellent fighter. Everybody knows that we knew each other from The Ultimate Fighter. I knew I needed to put the pressure on him, and I know he’s going to be back and he’s going to make a lot of noise in this division, as well.”
And after reliving his highlight-reel finish, Pantoja served notice to Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo, who will face off for the vacant UFC flyweight title at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in Norfolk, Virginia on Feb. 29.
“It’s going to be an excellent fight,” he said. “I think Deiveson Figueiredo made his own (luck) to get there. He deserves the title, but I’m gonna be next.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 23 results include:
Alexandre Pantoja def. Matt Schnell via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:17
Raoni Barcelos def. Said Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Amanda Lemos def. Miranda Granger via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:43
Heili Alateng def. Ryan Benoit via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
The best stats and figures about UFC on ESPN+ 23, which features a Frankie Edgar vs. Chan Sung Jung main event.
The UFC’s final event of the year – and the decade – takes place Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 23. The 13-fight lineup goes down at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea and streams entirely on ESPN+.
A matchup of featherweight contenders headlines the card. After the original booking between [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (23-7-1 MMA, 17-7-1 UFC) and [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) fell through in November 2018, the pair will finally share the octagon.
For more on the numbers behind the main event, check below for 60 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN+ 23.
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Main event
Frankie Edgar
Edgar, 38, is the oldest of the 26 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Edgar’s five losses in UFC championship fights are tied with B.J. Penn for most in company history behind Randy Couture (six).
Edgar is 8-4 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in February 2013.
Edgar’s total fight time of 7:12:33 in UFC competition is the most in company history.
Edgar’s 1,559 significant strikes landed in UFC competition are third most in company history behind Max Holloway (2,071) and Michael Bisping (1,567).
Edgar’s 68 takedowns landed in UFC competition are tied for fourth most in company history behind Georges St-Pierre (90), Gleison Tibau (84) and Demetrious Johnson (74).
Edgar’s 259 total strikes landed against Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57 are the second most in a single UFC/WEC featherweight contest behind Holloway’s 307 against Brian Ortega at UFC 231.
Edgar’s submission of Swanson at the 4:56 mark of Round 5 at UFC Fight Night 57 is tied for the third-latest stoppage in a UFC bout behind Demetrious Johnson at UFC 186 (4:59, Round 5) and Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 139 (4:59, Round 5).
Edgar is one of two fighters in UFC history to defeat a single opponent on three separate occasions inside the octagon. He did so against B.J. Penn. Tito Ortiz (Ken Shamrock) also accomplished the feat.
Edgar is the only fighter in UFC history to suffer three knockdowns in a single round and not lose the fight. The feat occurred in his UFC 125 draw with Gray Maynard.
Chan Sung Jung
Jung competes in his sixth consecutive UFC headliner. He’s 3-2 in previous main event fights.
Jung is the only South Korean fighter in history to challenge for a UFC title. He lost to then-champ Jose Aldo at UFC 163 in August 2013.
Jung has alternated wins and losses in his past five fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 21.
Jung is 2-1 since he returned from a more than three-year layoff from competition in February 2017.
Jung has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. That includes all five of his UFC wins.
Jung’s 6.2-second knockout of Mark Hominick at UFC 140 is the third fastest knockout in UFC history behind Jorge Masvidal’s five-second win at UFC 239 and Duane Ludwig’s six-second finish at UFC Fight Night 3.
Jung is the only featherweight in UFC/WEC combined history to earn multiple knockout wins in less than one minute.
Jung registered the first twister submission finish in UFC history when he defeated Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24. Bryce Mitchell has the only other finish using the technique in company history.
Jung has received seven fight-night bonus in seven UFC fights.
Jung’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC featherweight bouts are tied with Holloway, Cub Swanson and Yair Rodriguez for most in divisional history.
Co-main event
Volkan Oezdemir
[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has earned 13 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 12 of those wins by knockout.
Oezdemir is one of eight modern-era fighters to earn back-to-back knockouts in less than one minute each. Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Walt Harris, Francis Ngannou, Johnny Walker, Mike Swick, Caio Magalhaes and Ilir Latifi also accomplished the feat.
Oezdemir lands 5.04 significant strikes per minute in UFC light heavyweight competition, the second highest rate among active fighter in the weight class behind Ion Cutelaba (5.27).
Aleksander Rakic
[autotag]Aleksander Rakic[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) enters the event on a 12-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since his MMA debut in October 2011.
Rakic’s four-fight UFC winning streak in light heavyweight competition is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Dominick Reyes (six).
Rakic has earned 10 of his 12 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished nine of those wins by knockout.
Rakic is one of seven fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning backfist. He accomplished the feat at UFC 231.
Rakic landed 78 significant ground strikes at UFC Fight Night 134, the single-fight record for a UFC light heavyweight bout.
Remaining main card
Dooho Choi
[autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Jan. 14, 2019. The 351-day layoff is the longest of his more than 10-year career.
Choi enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since July 2016.
Choi’s average fight time of 5:26 in UFC featherweight competition is the second shortest in divisional history behind Mike de la Torre (4:25).
Choi has earned all three of his UFC victories by first-round knockout in a total fight time of four minutes and 33 seconds.
Choi’s 18-second knockout of Juan Puig at UFC Fight Night 57 stands as the second-fastest debut in UFC featherweight history behind Makwan Amirkhani’s eight-second win at UFC on FOX 14.
[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), 24, is the youngest of the 26 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Da Un Jung
[autotag]Da Un Jung[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) enters the event on an 11-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since October 2015.
[autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is 3-1 since he returned to competition from a nearly 3.5-year layoff in January 2018.
Kang has completed at least one takedown in seven of his eight UFC appearances.
Kang lands 64 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC bantamweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.
Preliminary card
Ciryl Gane
[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) makes his third UFC appearance since debuting with the promotion in August.
Gane has earned all five of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by submission.
Gane’s victory at 4:46 of Round 3 at UFC on ESPN+ 20 is the latest submission in a UFC heavyweight fight.
[autotag]Dong Hyun Ma[/autotag] (16-10-3 MMA, 3-4 UFC) is 3-3 since he dropped to the UFC lightweight division in June 2016.
Alexandre Pantoja
[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) lands 4.40 significant strikes per minute in UFC flyweight competition, the second highest rate in divisional history behind John Lineker (5.43).
[autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]’s (13-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak in flyweight competition is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Henry Cejudo (four).
Schnell’s victory at 1:23 of Round 1 at UFC on ESPN 5 is second fastest submission in UFC flyweight history.
Schnell earned the first triangle choke submission in UFC flyweight history at UFC on ESPN 5.
Schnell’s two submission victories by triangle choke in UFC competition are tied for the most in company history.
Said Nurmagomedov
[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is one of five fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the body. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 2.
[autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (6-1-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since July 16, 2017. The 888-day layoff is the longest of her more than five-year career.
Lemos drops two weight classes to the strawweight division after making her UFC debut at women’s bantamweight.
[autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Nov. 18, 2017. The 763-day layoff is the longest of his nearly 11-year career.
Benoit moves up to the UFC bantamweight division after spending his previous promotional appearances at flyweight.
Benoit has alternated wins and losses over his past nine fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC Fight Night 121 in November 2018.
Benoit is one of three fighters to earn a knockout victory stemming from a head kick in UFC flyweight history. Louis Smolka and Dustin Ortiz also accomplished the feat.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
[autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] is on quite the streak as he finds himself on the cusp of flyweight title contention.
Schnell takes on [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 23 in Busan, South Korea, and is expecting a tough outing against a guy with whom he’s very familiar.
Schnell (14-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Pantoja (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) were both part of “The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions” season and have even trained together after the show. And while Schnell has a lot of respect for Pantoja, he’s expecting a barnburner Dec. 21.
“Alexandre Pantoja’s never been finished, and look at his resume,” Schnell told MMA Junkie. “I’ll be ready to skip rocks off his forehead for 15 minutes. I can do that, but if anyone is capable of putting this young man away, it’s me. So I don’t know; it’s hard to say. Every time I play this fight out in my head, it goes one of two ways: I either spark him, or it’s ‘Fight of the Night,’ and to me I can’t see it any other way, so that’s my call on it. I either spark this kid, or it’s ‘Fight of the Night.’ There will be no in-between.”
“I think it’s going to be a tough one,” Schnell added. “Like I said, I think Pantoja has long been one of the best guys in the world, and he’s a grizzly veteran. I remember on the show we were all not necessarily impressed with his – like his skills are great, but it was his IQ and his ability to adjust in a fight.”
After dropping his first two UFC bouts, Schnell has won his last four. He is coming off back-to-back first-round submissions of Louis Smolka and a “Performance of the Night” over Jordan Espinosa at UFC on ESPN 5 in August.
And Schnell, who’s been splitting his training camps between Combat Sports Academy, Faito Tamashi Combat Club, and American Kickboxing Academy, believes that the fight won’t necessarily come down to one thing. He just puts it together better than anyone else.
“I just believe stylistically, I’m a bad matchup for a lot of these guys,” Schnell said. “It has little to do with individual skillset. There are plenty of guys who could box better than me, plenty of guys who could jiu-jitsu and wrestle better than me, but I think I put it together better than anybody, and it’s not going to be one individual thing that I have an advantage over him. It’s going to be the fight as a whole.”
With bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo unsure of his next move, the 125-pound division again is in a state of uncertainty. After Cejudo defeated T.J. Dillashaw in January, the flyweights, who were at one point fighting for their jobs, thought they finally gained stability.
But Schnell believes the division is still a work in progress, and he’s the guy who can make a difference.
“I believe there are stars here,” Schnell said. “I think of myself as the type of guy that they had hoped for when they made this division, and I can do everything. I can speak, I can fight, I can do it all, and I think that I’m a good candidate to carry this division. Now it’s important that I stay busy, and it’s important that I stay winning, but there are guys within this division who have star power and who are capable. We just need the opportunity. Put us in the big spots on the card; put us in the big fights.”
“They’ve been listening to me,” Schnell added. “They’ve been nothing but good to me, putting me in good spots in the fight card, and I feel like maybe we’re amassing a little momentum here, and all I got to do is keep winning, and we’ll stay in a good spot. I tell you what: The division’s safe if I keep winning.”
