Volkan Oezdemir – Page 7 – Syndication Server

UFC on ESPN+ 23 post-event facts: ‘Korean Zombie’ the featherweight bonus king

All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 23, which saw Chan Sung Jung beat Frankie Edgar.

The UFC’s final event of the year – and the decade – took place Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 23, which went down at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea, with a main card that streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN.

In the main event, [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) proved himself one of the top contenders in the featherweight division when he took out former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (23-8-1 MMA, 17-8-1 UFC) with a methodical first-round TKO.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 23.

* * * *

General

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $121,000.

Debuting fighters went 1-0 at the event.

Jung, [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag], [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] and [autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 23 fight-night bonuses.

UFC on ESPN+ 23 drew an announced attendance of 10,651. A live gate was not revealed.

Betting favorites went 7-6 on the card.

Betting favorites fell to 22-18 (one fight had even odds, one ended in a no contest) in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 2:21:54.

Main card

Jung improved to 3-1 since he returned from a more than three-year layoff from competition in February 2017.

Jung has earned 15 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his UFC wins.

Jung’s six stoppage victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Max Holloway (10) and Ricardo Lamas (eight).

Jung’s eight fight-night bonuses for UFC featherweight bouts are the most in divisional history.

Jung is the only fighter in UFC history to earn eight total bonuses in his first eight octagon appearances.

Edgar fell to 8-5 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in February 2013.

Edgar has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) has earned two of his five UFC victories by split decision.

[autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) had his 12-fight winning streak snapped for his first defeat since his MMA debut in October 2011.

Rakic suffered the first decision loss of his career.

Jourdain (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned all 10 of his career victories by stoppage.

Choi’s (14-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since July 2016.

Choi has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.

[autotag]Da Un Jung[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) extended his winning streak to 12 fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since October 2015.

Jung has earned 12 of his 13 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2018.

Rodriguez suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag] (17-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) improved to 4-1 since he returned to competition from a nearly 3.5-year layoff in January 2018.

[autotag]Marc Andre Barriault[/autotag]’s (11-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2018.

Barriault has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]’s (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind behind Jairzinho Rozenstruik (four).

Gane earned the first decision victory of his career.

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has suffered five of his six career losses by decision.

[autotag]Suman Mokhtarian[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 8-0.

Mokhtarian suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Dong Hyun Ma[/autotag]’s (16-11-3 MMA, 3-5 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.

Ma fell to 3-4 since he dropped to the UFC lightweight division in June 2016.

Ma suffered his first decision loss since Aug. 27, 2010 – a span of 3,403 days (more than nine years) and 16 fights.

[autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has suffered four of his five career losses by stoppage.

Schnell has suffered all three of his UFC losses by knockout.

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]’ (15-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak in bantamweight competition is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Petr Yan (six) and Marlon Vera (five).

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) had his seven-fight winning streak snapped for his first defeat since June 2014.

Nurmagomedov has suffered both of his career losses by decision.

[autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (7-1-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned all seven of her career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Miranda Granger[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had her seven-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.

[autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag] (14-7-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] (10-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past 10 fights.

Benoit was unsuccessful in his UFC bantamweight debut.

Benoit has suffered four of his six career losses by decision.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

UFC on ESPN+ 23 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2019 total tops $7.3 million

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:

* * * *

[autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Da Un Jung[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jun Yong Park[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Liu Pingyuan[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Suman Mokhtarian[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Dong Hyun Ma[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Miranda Granger[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag]: $5,000

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
“UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” – $369,500
“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” – $369,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” – $192,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 21: Zabit vs. Kattar” – $132,500
“UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” – $210,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” – $142,000
“UFC on ESPN 6: Reyes vs. Weidman” – $153,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” – $174,000
“UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” – $174,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 18: Hermansson vs. Cannonier” – $149,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 17: Rodriguez vs. Stephens” – $128,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 16: Cowboy vs. Gaethje” – $151,000
“UFC 242: Khabib vs. Poirier” – $221,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 15: Andrade vs. Zhang” – $149,000
“UFC 241: Cormier vs. Miocic 2” – $219,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 14: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2” – $191,500
“UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” – $154,000
“UFC 240: Holloway vs. Edgar” – $173,500
“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” – $209,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 13: De Randamie vs. Ladd” – $131,000
“UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos” – $283,500
“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” – $162,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 12 Moicano vs. The Korean Zombie” – $95,500
“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” – $304,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 11: Gustafsson vs. Smith” – $122,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 10: Dos Anjos vs. Lee” – $194,000
“UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade” – $250,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 9: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy” – $156,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 8: Jacare vs. Hermansson” – $199,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 7: Overeem vs. Oleinik” – $111,500
“UFC 236: Holloway vs. Poirier 2” – $253,500
“UFC on ESPN 2: Barboza vs. Gaethje” – $159,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 6: Thompson vs. Pettis” – $152,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 5: Till vs. Masvidal” – $121,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” – $193,000
“UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith” – $275,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 3: Blachowicz vs. Santos” – $164,500
“UFC on ESPN 1: Ngannou vs. Velasquez” – $176,000
“UFC 234: Whittaker vs. Gastelum” – $128,500
“UFC on ESPN+ 2: Assuncao vs. Moraes 2” – $176,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 1: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw” – $239,500

Year-to-date total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $31,004,500

Welt! You kneed to check out the swelling on Aleksandar Rakic’s leg

Volkan Oezdemir’s brutal leg kicks cause a massive welt on Aleksandar Rakic’s leg.

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]’s leg kicks did some serious damage to [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag]’s leg.

The two squared off in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ 23 in Busan, South Korea, in a back-and-forth scrap. But it was Oezdemir’s brutal leg kicks that made the difference, slowing Rakic’s movement and causing a massive welt on his left leg.

A welt so big that it look like Rakic had another knee.

this is an extra knee pic.twitter.com/wlmA6STfhb

— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda1) December 21, 2019

🤢🤢🤢🤢 #UFCBusan pic.twitter.com/KHDj7Ii8eX

— UFC (@ufc) December 21, 2019

Kudos to Rakic for fighting through that, but it was Oezdemir who got the nod via split decision, notching his second straight win.

And having recently been on the wrong end of a split decision to current UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes, Oezdemir wants that back.

In no time.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

UFC on ESPN+ 23 results: Volkan Oezdemir edges out Aleksandar Rakic after three-round slugfest

Volkan Oezdemir got the nod on the scorecards after a back-and-forth battle with Aleksandar Rakic at UFC on ESPN+ 23 in Busan, South Korea.

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] and [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] headed into South Korea with well-earned reputations as knockout artists, but their clash at UFC on ESPN+ 23 showed they both have chins to match, as they battled all the way to the scorecards in Busan.

The two light heavyweight finishers went toe-to-toe through three full rounds at Sajik Arena in the night’s co-main event, which streamed live on ESPN+. And a hotly-contested 15 minutes, it was Oezdemir (17-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) who got the nod via split decision.

The bout started in explosive fashion, as Rakic (12-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) came flying out of his corner and connected with two solid punches, then a flying knee, as he backed Oezdemir against the fence. The Austrian then looked to surprise the Swiss fighter with a guillotine choke, but Oezdemir recovered well before the action returned to the center of the octagon.

Rakic continued to boss things from the outside, mixing up punches and low leg kicks as Oezdemir looked to step in and use his powerful short-range punches, and one snapping right hand in particular from “No Time” put Rakic on alert.

[lawrence-related id=473393,473332]

And, just as Oezdemir appeared to be finding a foothold in the contest, Rakic mixed things up and took his man to the canvas with a single-leg, then looked to work him over with power punches against the fence after they returned to the feet. The threat of the knockout was ever-present as the pair threw with full power, but Rakic looked the slicker striker from range, as he connected with a clean two-punch combination before sliding away from a right-hand counter from Oezdemir in the final moments of an action-packed opening round.

But if Rakic had the better of things in the opening round, Oezdemir came back into the contest in Round 2, as he turned to his leg kicks and had immediate success. His first serious kick of the second stanza connected powerfully, leaving the Austrian with a large, nasty-looking swelling just below the left knee, which continued to grow in size as the round progressed. Oezdemir returned to that target repeatedly throughout the round as the pace of the bout slowed and the Swiss began to edge the striking exchanges.

Perhaps knowing the fight was in the balance, Rakic came out swinging at the start of Round 3 and connected with a big hook, which Oezedemir took well. The Swiss fighter then returned fire with shots of his own as the pair continued to battle back and forth. Both men landed solid left hooks as they chased a late finish. Oezdemir clipped his man with a head-kick, while Rakic continued to land jabs from range, while mixing in takedown attempts that ultimately proved unsuccessful as the two noted knockout artists battled all the way to the scorecards.

The fight was almost too close to call, and left the three octagonside judges split on the overall winner. When the scores were read, it was Oezdemir whose hand was raised with scores of 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28 going his way after a tight, competitive matchup.

“I’ve been on the wrong side of a decision already, on my last fight with Dominick Reyes,” said Oezdemir after the fight. “Now I’m going to let Reyes do his thing. And when Dominick Reyes comes back, I’ll be ready for him.”

Oezdemir then went on to call for a matchup with fellow light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith, who submitted him back at UFC Fight Night 138 in Moncton in October 2018.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 23 results include:

Volkan Oezdemir def. Aleksandar Rakic via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Charles Jourdain def. Dooho Choi via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:32
Da Un Jung def. Mike Rodriguez via KO (punches) – Round 1, 1:04
Jun Yong Park def. Marc-Andre Barriault via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Kyung Ho Kang def. Liu Pingyuan via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Ciryl Gane def. Tanner Boser via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Seung Woo Choi def. Suman Mokhtarian via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-25)
Omar Morales def. Dong Hyun Ma via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)
Alexandre Pantoja def. Matt Schnell via KO (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)

UFC on ESPN+ 23 predictions: Is it ‘Korean Zombie’ or Frankie Edgar in South Korea?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 23 main card in Busan, South Korea.

	Edgar vs. C. Jung	Oezdemir vs. Rakic	Choi vs. Jourdain	D. Jung vs. Rodriguez	Barriault vs. Park	Kang vs. Pingyuan
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2019: 210-125 (63%)	C. Jung (64%)	Rakic (61%)	Choi (89%)	D. Jung (65%)	Barriault (57%)	Kang (76%)
Simon Head @simonhead 2019: 127-66 (66%)	C. Jung	Rakic	Choi	D. Jung	Barriault	Kang
Nolan King @mma_kings 2019: 121-67 (64%)	C. Jung	Rakic	Choi	Rodriguez	Barriault	Kang
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2019: 215-120 (64%)	C. Jung	Rakic	Choi	D. Jung	Barriault	Kang
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2019: 214-121 (64%)	C. Jung	Rakic	Choi	D. Jung	Barriault	Kang
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2019: 214-121 (64%) 2017 Champion	Edgar	Rakic	Choi	Rodriguez	Barriault	Kang
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2019: 212-123 (63%)	C. Jung	Rakic	Choi	Rodriguez	Barriault	Kang
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2019: 210-125 (63%)	C. Jung	Oezdemir	Choi	D. Jung	Barriault	Kang
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2019: 207-128 (62%) 2014 Champion	C. Jung	Oezdemir	Choi	Rodriguez	Barriault	Kang
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2019: 206-129 (61%)	Edgar	Rakic	Choi	Rodriguez	Barriault	Kang
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2019: 110-72 (60%)	C. Jung	Oezdemir	Choi	D. Jung	Barriault	Kang
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2019: 201-134 (60%)	C. Jung	Rakic	Choi	D. Jung	Barriault	Kang
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2019: 137-106 (56%)	C. Jung	Rakic	Choi	D. Jung	Barriault	Kang
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2019: 175-160 (52%)	Edgar	Oezdemir	Jourdain	Rodriguez	Barriault	Pingyuan

The UFC touches down in South Korea this week, and a home-country hero headlines the show.

UFC on ESPN+ 23 takes place Saturday at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. The card streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

[lawrence-related id=469415,469432]

In the main event, former lightweight champion [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (23-7-1 MMA, 17-7-1 UFC) is putting off his planned move to bantamweight to stay at featherweight to take on [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) on short notice. “The Korean Zombie” is nearly a 2-1 favorite in front of his home fans against Edgar. Our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are taking Jung at a sizable 10-3 clip.

In the co-main event, former light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) meets [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who is about a -150 favorite. He’s also the favorite of the majority of our staff pickers at 9-4.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC), who is from Busan, gets a home fight at featherweight against [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC). He’s more than a 3-1 favorite, and only one of our pickers is going against him.

[autotag]Da Un Jung[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is a slight underdog in front of his home fans against [autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in a light heavyweight bout. It’s our most contentious fight on the card – Jung has a 7-6 edge in the picks.

The only unanimous pick in Busan goes to [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC). Despite not having a UFC win yet, all 13 of our pickers are taking him to beat South Korea’s own [autotag]Jun Yong Park[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Barriault is a slight betting favorite.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has a 12-1 blowout lead in the picks in his bantamweight fight against [autotag]Liu Pingyuan[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC).

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, C. Jung (64%), Rakic (91 percent), Choi (89 percent), D. Jung (65 percent), Barriault (57 percent) and Kang (76 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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5 burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN+ 23

MMA Junkie’s Dave Doyle addresses the key storylines going into the UFC’s final event of 2019.

[jwplayer euPqAJvs-FLu19iir]

Like that last straggling guest who refuses to pick up on the obvious cues that the party is over, the UFC plows forward with another weekend fight card smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, just one week after they’ve given the public more than they could possibly want with a three-title fight pay-per-view spectacular from Las Vegas.

But oversaturation is not the fault of the fighters on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 23 card card. And many of them are in bouts worth keeping tabs on, whether or not you’ll actually get up in the middle of the night in North America to watch the card live. Those fights include the makeshift featherweight main event of [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag].

UFC on ESPN+ 23 takes place Saturday at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. The card streams on ESPN+.

Without further ado, on to five burning questions heading into the event.

****

Will Frankie Edgar’s change of plans pay off?

UFC Busan was originally scheduled to feature Jung (15-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) vs. Brian Ortega, but Ortega pulled out due to injury. This led to former UFC lightweight champion Edgar (23-7-1 MMA, 17-7-1 UFC) stepping in and taking the bout on just a few weeks’ notice.

This in and of itself isn’t surprising, because Edgar has long been known for his willingness to fight anyone, anywhere. However, in this specific instance, he had been scheduled to meet Cory Sandhagen on Jan. 25 in what was supposed to be his bantamweight debut.

It seemed a curious move at the time, but things have changed. Edgar was moving to bantamweight in part because he lost in a one-sided manner to then-featherweight champion Max Holloway. With Alexander Volkanovski defeating Holloway for the belt at UFC 245, however, the division landscape has shifted.

Edgar vs. “Korean Zombie,” even as a shotgun main-event arrangement, sounded like a fun fight on paper when it was announced. Now, with things a-changin’ at featherweight, a big win halfway around the world against one of the planet’s most spirited fighters could put Edgar square back into the mix at featherweight.

[opinary poll=”whats-your-pick-for-frankie-edgar-vs-cha” customer=”mmajunkie”]

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UFC on ESPN+ 23 pre-event facts: Frankie Edgar is UFC’s fight time iron man

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.

* * * *

Main event

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.

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

[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).

[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

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.

UFC on ESPN+ 23: Make your predictions for Frankie Edgar vs. Chan Sung Jung

We want your predictions for UFC on ESPN+ 23 in Busan, South Korea.

We want your predictions for this week’s UFC on ESPN+ 23 event in South Korea.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 23 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 23 takes place Saturday at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. The card streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for all six main card fights inside.

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Volkan Oezdemir doesn’t see UFC Busan fight with Aleksandar Rakic going past two rounds

Volkan Oezdemir doesn’t see his fight with Aleksandar Rakic at UFC Busan going past two rounds.

If there’s anyone who can match [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]’s “No Time” mentality, it’s his UFC Busan opponent, [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag].

Oezdemir (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) faces Rakic (12-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 23 on Dec. 21 in a battle between two fast-paced light heavyweights who share a combined 20 first-round finishes between them.

“It’s definitely going to be an explosive fight,” Oezdemir told MMA Junkie. “Rakic is there. He’s putting a lot of pressure, a lot of intensity. In his fights, he completely outstrikes his opponents, puts a lot of pressure, like always going forward, and he loves to strike. I think he will try to be more subtle, and I will definitely put more pressure into the game. This is how I see the fight going.”

Naturally, Oezdemir doesn’t see the fight lasting too long, especially with the way both of them approach their fights.

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“I’m definitely ready to go full power since the first minute, because this guy also doesn’t back up – so it’s definitely going to be an explosive fight and I don’t see the fight going past two rounds,” Oezdemir said.

Oezdemir was able to snap a three-fight losing skid with a much needed finish over Ilir Latifi in August in one of his most refined performances yet.

Rakic, on the other hand, is off to a 4-0 start to his UFC tenure and is coming off back-to-back first-round finishes over Devin Clark and a head kick “Knockout of the Year” contender over Jimi Manuwa.

But Oezdemir, a former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, doesn’t think their resumes stack up against each other. He says Rakic has never really fought any real top ranked contender.

“Rakic is a top guy, obviously. He’s also really having a lot of success in the UFC lately,” he said. “But the thing, is he hasn’t fought a top 10 guy yet. The only guy close to the top 10 was Jimi Manuwa, but Manuwa was also on a losing streak with a lot of knockout losses – really bad ones. I think he hasn’t faced real competition, like really tough fights.

“He has good wins against people that are not ranked, so it’s also a nice win. But we always see the difference as soon as you hit the top 10 mark. Then you’re seeing a whole different monster.”

Oezdemir’s three losses came at the hands of former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier, former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith, and undefeated and current UFC 205-pound title challenger Dominick Reyes.

He also holds wins over notable names in the division such as Manuwa, former UFC 205-pound title challenger Ovince Saint Preux, and Ilir Latifi in his most recent outing.

“I believe I’ve been facing the top competition in all my fights in the UFC,” Oezdemir said. “It was the first time that I was facing someone that was coming off a loss, so other than Ilir, everybody was on a good note – like a lot of win streaks and stuff like that, a lot of prospects and people that are supposed to be really, really good. Also, you can see most of the people I’ve faced are all going for the belt or being next in line for title shots, so then it’s also adding credit to my name.”

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Volkan Oezdemir: Dominick Reyes presents different style for Jon Jones, but Jones still wins at UFC 247

Having already fought him before, Volkan Oezdemir doesn’t think Dominick Reyes will be the one to dethrone Jon Jones.

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] is very familiar with the next UFC light heavyweight title challenger.

Oezdemir lost a controversial split decision to [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] in March. Reyes now is next in line for a title shot at UFC 205-pound champ Jon Jones at UFC 247 in February. Reyes handed Oezdemir his third straight loss at UFC London in a fight that Oezdemir is adamant he won.

Oezdemir thinks Reyes offers a different challenge for Jones, and considering the success Thiago Santos was able to have against the champ, he is intrigued to see what Reyes will be able to do.

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“He’s going to bring a different style to the Jon Jones puzzle,” Oezdemir told MMA Junkie. “Santos was really close to beating Jon Jones, plus he was on one leg, and one really wobbly leg. His leg was – what did he have? ACL tear and meniscus tear he got in the first round of the fight – and even with this, he posed a lot of problems to Jon Jones. So it might be interesting to see what Reyes can do.”

Nobody has been able to figure out the Jones puzzle completely, and while Santos gave a valiant effort, ultimately, it wasn’t enough. Jones has been able to win fights both on the feet and on the canvas, and Oezdemir thinks an opponent has to be able to pose numerous of threats to beat him.

But he doesn’t think Reyes will be the one to dethrone Jones.

“I think the thing now also with Jon Jones is, don’t come to the Jon Jones fight and be one-dimensional,” Oezdemir said. “You have to surprise him and do a lot of different stuff. If you come there and just be a striker, then Jones will have a perfect game plan against you. Let’s see what Reyes will offer to Jones. I still see Jon Jones winning the fight.”

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