UFC 140 Preview: The Main Card

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Featherweights
Mark Hominick (20-9, 1-1 UFC) vs. Chan Sung Jung (11-3, 1-0 UFC)

The Matchup: Hominick showed enormous heart against featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 129, battling through a tennis-ball sized hematoma on his head to give the Brazilian a scare in the bout’s fifth round. Had Hominick been able to pass guard in the final minutes, the champion’s situation could have become dire. He could not, however, so now “The Machine” must work his way back into title contention.

His opponent, Jung, is best known for his two bouts with Leonard Garcia. The first was a slugfest of epic proportions in which “The Korean Zombie” came out on the wrong end of a decision; in the rematch, Jung paid tribute to Eddie Bravo with the twister, a “Submission of the Year” candidate for 2011. In between, the Korean Top Team representative was knocked silly by a George Roop head kick. With recent history in mind, the best approach for Jung against Hominick would be the one he utilized in his rematch with Garcia.

If Jung plods forward in typical zombie fashion, with his hands down while firing away with uppercuts, Hominick is perfectly capable of adding him to his personal highlight reel. Crisp and precise, the Team Tompkins product makes use of both hands and feet to keep his foes guessing. He will want to keep Jung at a safe distance by using a stiff jab and leg kicks. At UFC Fight Night 24, the Korean was opportunistic when it came to taking Garcia to the mat. Once there, Jung made use of elbows, as well as his underrated ground game, hunting for submissions throughout before eventually finishing it with the twister.

Taking down Hominick represents Jung’s best shot at an upset here. When Jung gets popped, he often responds with careless aggression, leaving himself prone to the knockout shot. If Hominick is not worried about the threat of a takedown, he will be free to tee off with impunity.

The Pick: It is going to be extremely difficult for Jung to close distance on Hominick, and he will eat a steady diet of punches and kicks for his troubles. Eventually, The Korean Zombie will lose patience and engage in an entertaining but short-lived firefight with the talented kickboxer. Hominick wins by second-round technical knockout.