UFC Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has got a new opponent to defend his title against as he will be fighting The Korean Zombie at UFC 273 in April. Alexander Volkanovski was supposed to fight a trilogy fight against former champion Max Holloway at UFC 272. Max Holloway pulled out of the fight due to an injury he suffered in his training. UFC was quick to find a replacement and after going through a bunch of fighters who put their names out for this title fight, UFC’s eyes got set on Chan Sung Jung. The fight got set but now is moved from UFC 272 to UFC 273. Along with this fight, the bantamweight title fight between the champion Aljamain Sterling and Interim champion Petr Yan is also moved from UFC 272 to UFC 273. Ariel Helwani was the first to report this news.
Alex Volkanovski vs. Chang Sung Jung for the 145 title is a done deal for UFC 273 on April 9.
Co-main is Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan for the 135 title.
Location TBD. Likely not Brooklyn.
New headliner for UFC 272 is Jorge Masvidal x Colby Covington. Verbal, not signed.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 11, 2022
“Alex Volkanovski vs. Chang Sung Jung for the 145 title is a done deal for UFC 273 on April 9. Co-main is Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan for the 135 title. Location TBD. Likely not Brooklyn. The new headliner for UFC 272 is Jorge Masvidal x Colby Covington. Verbal, not signed.”
In his fourth title defense, Max Holloway fought Alexander Volkanovski on December 14, 2019, at UFC 245. Max lost a competitive fight via unanimous decision. The rematch for the UFC Featherweight Championship between these took place on July 12 at UFC 251. Alexander won the fight via split decision. Alexander Volkanosvki then went on to fight Brian Ortega at UFC 266. Many thought it would be a one-sided fight for Alex but turned out to be a fight of the year contest. Biran Ortega left everything in the ring. He even caught Alexander Volkanosvki in several submission attempts but Alex showed his champion-level heart and got himself out of those dangerous situations. Alex won the fight via decision.
Chan Sung Jung is at the moment the no.4 ranked featherweight fighter in the world. He previously lost a title eliminator fight against Brian Ortega. He bounced back from that loss after getting a crucial decision win over rising prospect Dan Ige. He is 17-6 in MMA and 7-5 in the UFC. He is one of the top prospects in the featherweight division and presents a unique challenge for Alexander. Chan Sung Hung has a unique style of fight and is majorly known for his striking. It will be interesting to see how he performed in his first high-profile championship fight after a long time. He previously lost a title fight to Jose Aldo in 2013.
UFC 273 Card:
- Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung – Featherweight title fight
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan – Bantamweight title fight
- Irene Aldana vs. Aspen Ladd
- Pat Sabatini vs. Gavin Tucker
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung featherweight title fight set for UFC 273
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan bantamweight title fight set for UFC 273
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