UFC Fight Night: Holloway v The Korean Zombie Predictions

Featherweight legends face off as former champion Max Holloway battles Chan Sung Jung in the main event of UFC Singapore on Saturday afternoon, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld. 

Top-10 light heavyweight finishers Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann square off in an explosive rematch in the co-headliner at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, while ranked 145-pounders Giga Chikadze and Alex Caceres collide in the featured bout. 

The next challenger for the flyweight title could be decided when Erin Blanchfield takes on fellow top contender Taila Santos, unbeaten Rinya Nakamura battles Fernie Garcia at bantamweight and heavyweights Junior Tafa and Parker Porter throw down.

MAIN CARD (from 2 PM Saturday SA time):

Max Holloway (1.12) v Chan Sung Jung (6.50) (Featherweight)

Having existed in the same ecosystem for years and carved out legendary careers, veteran Octagon warriors finally go to battle in Saturday’s much-anticipated five-round main event. 

Both men are fan favourites and two of the best featherweights in the world, setting the stage for a must-watch scrap in Singapore. 

Former champion Holloway (24-7) is one of the greatest 145-pounders of all time known for his ruthless striking prowess and endless gas tank, while Jung (17-7), known as “The Korean Zombie”, is one of the toughest men to ever step foot inside the Octagon.

Holloway holds the divisional records for most wins (19) and most finishes (10) and the UFC record for total strikes landed (3,366). The fighting pride of Hawaii’s brand of violence is a bloody ballet as he glides across the cage and systematically picks an opponent apart with some of the best boxing in all of mixed martial arts.  

Jung, with his superhuman durability, is a willing and able dance partner. A heavy-handed striker and submission sorcerer, former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is among his six knockout victims while Dustin Poirier headlines a group of eight men he’s tapped out. 

The South Korean star is coming off a second failed attempt at seizing the title last April, which saw him take everything pound-for-pound great Alexander Volkanovski could dish out and still come forward before the referee stepped in to stop the fight in the fourth round. Prior to that, he’d won three of four.  

Volkanovski’s the only featherweight Holloway’s lost to in the last nine years. He bounced back from his third defeat to the reigning king by halting the rise of the division’s hottest prospect Arnold Allen in April, ending the Brit’s 10-fight win streak and cementing himself as the best featherweight on the planet not named Volkanovski with a decision victory.

Jung’s a gamer but at 36, he’s reaching the end of the road and the man himself has spoken about retirement. A much more fleet-footed Holloway is set to lead the dance and should be able to land his jab and combinations at will. 

He doesn’t have the power of Volkanovski to force a stoppage, so bank on “Blessed” to win on the scorecards. 

Anthony Smith (2.10) v Ryan Spann (1.76) (Light Heavyweight)

The co-headliners first faced off in 2021 with Smith (36-18) securing a first-round submission win. Despite this and the fact that he’s two places above Spann (21-8) in the rankings at No 8, he’s the underdog in the rematch. It’s surprising to me as while the former title challenger’s past his prime, he’s far from finished.

Both fighters need a win, with Smith coming off losses to Johnny Walker and Magomed Ankalaev, the latter in May, and Spann succumbing to Nikita Krylov in March. They’ve also both been inconsistent; Smith is 4-4 in his last eight fights and Spann is 3-3 in his past six.

One of the most well-rounded light heavyweights in the UFC, Smith is crafty on the feet and a killer on the ground (19 knockouts and 14 submissions). “Lionheart” is a student of the game, an intelligent combatant who, when he’s not fighting, serves as an analyst on other UFC cards. 

Spann’s the superior athlete, far more explosive and the younger fighter by four years at 31. Not one to work by the hour, all but three of his wins are by stoppage (six knockouts and 12 submissions) and all six of his last fights ended in the first round.

Tall (6’5″) and rangy, “Superman” will have a one-inch height and three-inch reach advantage and will look to keep the fight standing. 

Hard to get out of there and with his world of experience, Smith is a high-value underdog and should prove to be Spann’s kryptonite again. I’d lean towards another submission, but the moneyline is the way to go.

Giga Chikadze (1.40) v Alex Caceres (3.05) (Featherweight)

A returning contender collides with an active campaigner in the featherweight top 15.

Ninth-ranked Chikadze (14-3) last fought as the headlining act of the opening event of 2022. He looked like a future title challenger heading into that clash with Calvin Kattar, having won seven straight to start his UFC tenure, but suffered his first loss in the promotion at the hands of the Boston veteran.

A former kickboxer, “Ninja” is fluid on the feet and best known for his lethal kicks. He has a diverse striking arsenal and nine knockouts to his name.

Fifteenth-ranked Caceres (21-13) has been putting in work. He fought three times during Chikadze’s time away and is on a two-fight win streak. The Octagon stalwart is on a career-best run of 7-1, his lone loss in the past five years coming by decision to Sodiq Yusuff.  

“Bruce Leeroy” has matured into a solid all-rounder, though, his grappling – which has netted him seven submission wins – remains the most dangerous part of his game. 

Rust on the part of Chikadze is a concern and his takedown defence will be tested, but I’m confident that he’ll be able to control the distance and keep Caceres at the end of his strikes to make a successful comeback. 

Rinya Nakamura (1.12) v Fernie Garcia (6.50) (Bantamweight)

An exciting prospect with a perfect record of 7-0 with six finishes (five knockouts and one submission), Nakamura is a massive favourite and with good reason. 

“Hybrid” won last season’s Road to UFC tournament and his spectacular knockout of Toshiomi Kazama in February was his third consecutive first-round finish. 

For someone with less than three years’ experience as a pro, his ability to set traps on the feet is impressive, but it’s his wrestling pedigree as a former Under-23 world champion that’s his biggest upside and the main reason why he’s expected to maul his Mexican foe. 

Garcia’s on a two-fight losing skid and gave up plenty of takedowns in both. He’s not a serious threat either, with six of his 10 wins coming by decision. 

This is very much an opportunity for Nakamura to shine and the rising Japanese star will do just that as he picks up a popular TKO win.

Erin Blanchfield (1.70) v Taila Santos (2.20) (Flyweight)

A fight worthy of being a main event, the winner of this one could find herself fighting for the flyweight title next. 

Blanchfield (11-1) has been an absolute bulldozer since arriving in the UFC in 2021. Physically strong and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, she’s flawless at 5-0 inside the Octagon and has won her last three bouts by submission. 

Fresh off tapping out former champion Jessica Andrade in her maiden main event in February, third-ranked “Cold Blooded” will be hard to deny if she gets through Santos (19-2).

Known for her heavy hands that have earned her 10 knockouts, Santos surprised all and sundry when she took champion Valentina Shevchenko to the limit with a grappling-heavy approach in their title fight last June. 

The fourth-ranked Brazilian hasn’t fought since suffering that split decision loss, though, making it tough to back her against a sharp and red-hot Blanchfield. 

In what’ll be a high-level fight, I expect Santos to give Blanchfield her toughest UFC test to date and for the 24-year-old to respond by outworking her to continue her winning ways. 

Junior Tafa (1.70) v Parker Porter (2.20) (Heavyweight)

Heavyweights are up first but it’s debatable whether this pair will start the main card with a bang. 

Of the two, Tafa (4-1) is the knockout artist with all four of his wins coming by strikes. He’s green, though, which was evident in his decision loss to Mohammed Usman in his UFC debut in April. 

Porter (14-8) may not be the prolific finisher that Tafa is, but he boasts invaluable Octagon experience and is much further advanced as a mixed martial artist. 

Interestingly, he fought and lost to Tafa’s older brother Justin in February, a setback he bounced back from with a first-round TKO of Braxton Smith in May. 

As a veteran, Porter should be able to avoid the big shots and use his greater skillset to grind out the victory and cash out as the underdog.