It’s time.
Australian Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight title for the third time on Sunday (AEST) in Jacksonville.
This time, against Chan Sung Jungalso known as ‘The Korean Zombie’.
Watch UFC 273: Volkanovski vs The Korean Zombie LIVE on Main Event available on Kayo & Foxtel, Sunday 10th April from 12pm AEST. ORDER NOW >
MORE: What time Aussie Volkanovski v Korean Zombie will start at UFC 273
Volkanovski headlines a blockbuster UFC 273 card, that will also see Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan finally settle their score, and the next chapter of the Khamzat Chimaev experience.
For Volkanovski, it’s another opportunity to cement his status as the best 145-pounder in the world, and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the organisation.
“I earned it, I deserve it, so I don’t have to feel like I’m being cocky by owning that crown that I deserve to wear,” he told reporters this week.
“I’m fighting absolute killers. I want to keep taking these guys out.”
Riding a 10-fight win streak in the UFC, Volkanovski has received real support in Jacksonville after his most recent victory over Brian Ortega, following a controversial two-fighter series with fan favourite Max Holloway that saw the Aussie come out unscathed.
For Zombie, it’ll be his first title shot in 3170 days (nine years); nearly a decade on from defeat at the hands of Jose Aldo.
“I’m happy for him that he got a title shot,” Volkanovski said.
“This is probably going to be his last title shot. I don’t want to say I’m looking past him like I’m cocky, but where I’m at right now, I can’t see myself being beaten.
“He’s been around forever. It’s a guy I’ve always wanted to fight, always thought I was going to fight. Zombie has been at the top of the game ever since this featherweight division has ever started.
“It’s a legacy fight. I’ve taken down a lot of the legends and I want to keep taking down legends. He’s definitely one of them. He’s earned this spot, he definitely has.”
Speaking on Sunday’s pre-fight coverage, Joe Rogan called Volkanovski an “absolute savage” and said he deserves to be the strong favourite.
“The man has gone through the fire over and over again, against Brian Ortega, against Max Holloway against Chad Mendes,” Rogan said.
“You look at the guy’s resume, what he’s been able to do and the way he’s been able to fight out of submissions. I mean, it’s hard to imagine a featherweight who would be favourite over Volkanovski.
“The man is an absolute savage and I think his mindset is one of his strongest assets. He has zero quit in him and all win”
‘F***ING PUSSY’: FIERY END TO MADSEN WIN
The main card opened with Mark Madsen defeating Vinc Pichel via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). The opening two rounds were relatively even and uneventful in the sense neither was able to gain the clear upperhand. Pichel opened up the fight with a low kick, with Masden returning and that carried on for the early stages of the round.
Pichel was able to land a pair of leg kicks and then soon after a right hand, yelling at Madsen: “You better watch out motherf***er” in a brutal warning. Madsen though responded with a takedown, although Pichel was able to get back up without much sustaining much damage.
Both went on to exchange punches and kicks before Pichel landed a late right hand at the end of the round. Madsen was able to land a takedown in the second round but again Pichel was able to get out and almost locked in a calf slicer.
That did not eventuate but Pichel was later able to hit Madsen with a flurry of punches, cementing the round late. In the end though, Madsen had the decisive third round after scoring an early takedown and staying in complete control for the remainder of the fight.
Pichel though was not impressed as he left the octagon, yelling: “You’re a f***ing pussy” at Madsen.
YAN READY TO SHUT UP ‘ABSURD’ CHAMPION STERLING
In the co-main event, Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan both have plenty to prove in their rematch for the UFC bantamweight championship.
Sterling (20-3) took home the belt last March in dramatic circumstances, with Yan disqualified after an illegal knee.
As much as it was an emotional win for Sterling at the time, it was also unfulfilling, not the way he wanted to end up with the belt around his waist.
But when a friend put a photo up on social media, proudly posing with Sterling and the belt, the vitriol started coming Sterling’s way.
“As soon as that picture went up [on social media]all the bad comments started to come,” Merab Dvalishvili, UFC bantamweight and one of Sterling’s closest teammates, told ESPN. “The entire world started talking s***.”
Sterling may have not been satisfied with the way he won the belt but he was satisfied he is the best in the world and is ready to prove it once again on Sunday.
“I smoke him, what are people going to say?” Sterling told reporters this week.
“What are people going to say if and when I smoke this guy? It’s a little sweet to stick it to people a little bit, kind of rub it in their faces. People did it to me.
“When I do it back, I hope people can take it the same way I had to take it for 13 months. I’m ready to just end this chapter and move on to the next one.”
Yan, meanwhile, warned during the week that he would show up Sterling as he looks to prove the last result was not a true indication of his powers as a fighter.
“Let’s wait until Saturday [local time] and see if he’s really a worthy rival or not,” Yan told reporters.
“I’ll have a long career ahead, and I believe I’m gonna have a lot more worthy rivals. And I think right now the way he behaves, he doesn’t behave like a worthy rival or like a man.
“I can’t say it’s personal, but it’s very important for me to beat him up and show who he truly is. In UFC history, there is no one who won a belt that way, but he still thinks he’s a champion. It’s absurd.”
‘I DON’T SEE A MONSTER’: BURNS SHUTS DOWN UFC HYPE JOB
There may be no belt on the line but the entire UFC world will be watching closely on Sunday when Khamzat Chimaev enters the octagon for his biggest challenge yet against Gilbert Burns.
Chimaev, boasting a 10-0 record in MMA and 4-0 in the UFC, has rapidly risen up the ranks in the UFC and believes a win on Sunday should see him get a shot at reigning champion Kamaru Usman.
The 27-year-old has been unmatched so far in his career, with 254 total strikes landed to his name while his opponents have been able to land just two.
Chimaev enters Sunday’s fight the clear favourite and is the second fighter since 2007 to be 4-1 or bigger favourite in their first five UFC bouts.
But Burns himself shapes as Chimaev’s toughest test yet, with a 20-4 record, including 14 finishes (eight submissions, six knockouts).
The question is if Burns can land an early blow and plant a seed of doubt or take the fight into deep waters, how will Chimaev handle that unfamiliar situation?
As hyped as Chimaev may be, Burns certainly is not overly impressed.
“Nothing special,” Burns said during the week.
“I think his wrestling is very good, his control and ground-and-pound is good, and the fact that he’s very long helps too so then he gets grips, good control, he knows where to put the weight, very technical, hits hard.
“But the opponents [he fought] didn’t help as well. Those guys don’t know how to get up, the other ones didn’t know how to wrestle. I don’t know even know, I’ve got to look it [up] — his first two UFC opponents, do you know their name? Anyone? No one knows.
“I don’t see a monster. I see a human being, confident, a little bit cocky, undefeated, thinks he’s the best or untouchable, but we shall see.”
HOW TO WATCH
Watch UFC 273: Volkanovski vs The Korean Zombie LIVE on Main Event available on Kayo & Foxtel, Sunday 10th April from 12pm AEST. ORDER NOW >
FULL CARD
Main card
Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs. ‘The Korean Zombie’ — featherweight title
Aljamain Sterling (C) vs. Petr Yan (IC) — bantamweight title
Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev — welterweight
Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres — strawweight
Mark Madsen def. Vinc Pichel via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Prelims
Ian Garry def. Darian Weeks via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) — welterweight
Anthony Hernandez def. Josh Fremd via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) — middleweight
Raquel Pennington def. Aspen Ladd via unanimous decision 29-28 x 3 — bantamweight
Mike Malott def. Mickey Gall via TKO in first round — welterweight
Early Prelims
Aleksei Oleinik def. Jared Vanderaa via first round submission — heavyweight
Julio Arce def. Daniel Santos via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28) — bantamweight
Piera Rodriguez def. Kay Hansen via. unanimous decision (29-28 x 3) — strawweight
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PRELIMINARY FIGHTS WRAP:
There was already drama in the preliminary fights, with Mike Malott making an instant impact in his UFC debut.
Malott scored a TKO win in the first round over Mickey Gall with a devastating left hook that sent his rival crashing to the canvas.
In a touching post-fight interview, Malott revealed he would be donating his entire show money ($10,000) to the family of a 15-year-old who is currently battling cancer.
Elsewhere, the Ian Garry hype train has continued to charge along, although this was a much tougher bout for the 24-year-old, winning via unanimous decision over Darian Weeks.
Garry (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) said post-fight he obviously would have preferred to have finished Weeks but saw plenty of positives out of going the distance.
“It’s 15 minutes in the cage, I ain’t happy with it. I like finishing fights, but it’s experience. As I’ve said before, I ain’t perfect yet, but I’m getting there,” he said.
Joe Rogan said the same in commentary for ESPN.
“When you have a young prospect like Garry, these are the kind of fights you want to see. You don’t want to all see blowouts,” he said.
“You want to see a guy like Weeks, you is tough as nails, physically strong and presents a lot of problems and you get to learn what this 24-year-old kid is capable of. It’s a very valuable lesson, win, lose or draw.”
Meanwhile, she took the fight on nine days notice but Raquel Pennington showed few signs of rust in a unanimous decision win over Aspen Ladd.
Pennington revealed post-fight that she actually broke her left hand in the first round blocking a kick from Ladd.
It is Pennington’s fourth-straight win in the octagon and means she now owns the longest active UFC win streak in the bantamweight division.
Her 10 wins in the division are also the second-most behind Amanda Nunes (11).
Pennington called out Sara McCann post-fight, telling her: “Sara I have a lot of respect for you, I’ve always admired you as a person and an opponent, but I think we should settle this for a title shot.”
Earlier, Alexei Oleinik proved age is no barrier to dominating in the heavyweight division, submitting Jared Vanderaa in the first round.
Oleinik, who is 44 years old, found early success on the ground and finished the fight early with a ‘Boa Constrictor’ which forced Vanderaa to tap out.
When asked how much longer he can continue, Oleinki cheekily responded: “Not too much. Maybe five or 10 years”.
Oleinik first MMA win came back in 1996 with the latest win his 47th by submission.