5 things Dan Ige needs to do to defeat Korean Zombie
Dan '50k' Ige and the 'Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung are set to face each other in an exciting featherweight clash for the main event at UFC on ESPN 25.
Both fighters are looking to get themselves into title contention.
'The Korean Zombie' was given his moniker for having a strong chin that would allow him to continue fighting even after taking heavy strikes.
However, several factors play against Jung in the fight against Ige if the latter plays his cards right.
On that note, here are five things Dan Ige needs to do to defeat 'The Korean Zombie':
5) Not be afraid of the zombie's chin
There was a time when Jung's chin seemed invincible, but after he faced more competitive fighters in the UFC, his chin got rocked several times to knock him down. Three of his six losses have come by knockout, thereby derailing the hype surrounding his chin.
Chan Sung Jung's growing age has only made his chin weaker. In the last two fights that he lost to Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez, his chin played a major role.
'50k' being the powerful striker that he is, could potentially score a knockout against 'The Zombie'.
4) Pressure and brawl
Ige being the shorter fighter of the two, can get the taller Jung in deep waters by closing the distance and landing some brutal strikes.
In the fight between 'Zombie' and Ortega, the latter being the shorter fighter, was able to knock down Jung with a spinning elbow at close range.
It seems that '50k' is confident in his striking power.
Yair Rodriguez, too, had won his fight against the Korean by luring him too close and knocking him out with an elbow strike even though he was the taller fighter.
Dan Ige needs to pressure 'The Korean Zombie' consistently without causing any lull moments and overwhelm his opponent. This will effectively nullify any distant striking advantage Jung has, and '50k' could land a decisive blow.
Because Ige is shorter than Brian Ortega, he wouldn't even need to land a close elbow strike. Instead, a good power punch should do the job.
3) Keep the fight standing
While '50k' is a great wrestler and has a good ground game, he should avoid taking the fight to the ground and rely on his striking ability to end the fight.
Although Ige has some submission wins on his record, 'The Korean Zombie' is a significant threat on the ground. Jung has pulled off several technical submission wins, including the first twister submission in the UFC against Leonard Garcia and the D'arce choke against Dustin Poirier.
The best use Ige has for his wrestling against Jung is to close the distance or use ground and pound.
2) Give priority to ground-and-pound over submissions
If Ige takes the fight to the ground at all, he can make the most of his wrestling against Jung by choosing to land strikes on the ground instead of going for a submission.
Trying to submit 'Zombie' will only give Jung an opening to use his more varied submission skills.
Ige's knockout power will only complement his ground-and-pound, so trying to submit the Korean is not only unwise but also unnecessary.
1) Avoid letting the fight go to judges' scorecards
Both fighters have great gas tanks. The fact that both sides have seen their fights go into the fifth round should prove so.
But all of Ige's losses in his professional MMA career have come after his fights went the distance.
Ige needs to end the fight early while not mistaking for a second that 'The Zombie' has weak cardio. By no means should '50k' give the judges a chance to decide the winner of this fight. His striking should suffice.
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