Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway showed, once again, that he's still at the top of his game as he finished a hard-charging Chan Sung Jung at UFC Singapore.
The bout between Holloway and "The Korean Zombie" headlined the card at Singapore Indoor Stadium, and the two featherweight legends served up an all-action war worthy of the billing, as "The Korean Zombie" threw the kitchen sink at Holloway only to be spectacularly knocked out by a huge, well-timed, counter right hand from the former champ, who added another big-name to his incredible resume.
Both men entered the arena to a huge reception from the Singapore crowd, and it didn't take long for the pair to start throwing leather. First, Chan stunned Holloway with a big punch, then Holloway returned the favor as he countered the South Korean as he closed in looking to take advantage.
That exchange set the stage for a wild encounter as Holloway and Chan continued to trade back and forth, with "The Korean Zombie" the aggressor and Holloway looking to answer with sharp, hard counters.
Any thought that things might settle down in the second round was quickly wiped out when Holloway sent Chan face-first into the canvas. For a split-second it looked as if the fight was all over, and Holloway opted not to move in and apply the finishing touches. That proved to be a mistake, as Chan wasn't quite done, and "The Korean Zombie" rallied through some scrambles on the mat before the fight returned to the feet and they swung for the fences once again.
Perhaps knowing he needed something big to turn the fight in his favor, "The Korean Zombie" came out of his corner for Round 3 like a man possessed. He charged at Holloway and unloaded a barrage of punches to force the former champion onto the back foot.
Chan landed with big shots, but as he moved in looking to land a decisive blow, Holloway unleashed a massive counter right hand that connected flush on Chan and sent him, once again, face-first into the canvas. This time there was no doubt, and Holloway jumped on the cage fence to celebrate a huge knockout victory.
After the fight, Holloway paid tribute to "The Korean Zombie" and spoke passionately about the situation affecting the people of Maui following the wildfires that have devastated the Hawaiian island recently.
Then, "The Korean Zombie" took his turn on the microphone as he announced his retirement before leaving the Octagon to the entire arena serenading him with his walkout song, The Cranberries' "Zombie."
In the co-main event, Anthony Smith went 2-0 against light heavyweight rival Ryan Spann as he claimed a split-decision decision victory after three tight rounds.
Smith took the first round on all three scorecards, while Spann was the consensus winner of the second frame. It set up a crucial third round, and two of the judges saw the action in Smith's favor to give "Lionheart" a vital victory as he registered his 37th career victory.
Also on the main card, Georgian striker Giga Chikadze claimed a shutout victory over Alex Caceres, while the night also saw another impressive win from undefeated Japanese bantamweight Rinya Nakamura, who shut out Fernie Garcia on the scorecards to claim a unanimous decision victory.
Nakamura, who won the Road to UFC Season 1 bantamweight tournament on his Octagon debut in February, underlined his growing potential with a superb performance to earn scores of 30-26, 30-27, 30-27 as he extended his perfect professional record to 7-0.
Earlier on the main card, surging women's flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield moved one step closer to a shot at the 125-pound title with a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Taila Santos.
Santos started the better of the pair, and took the opening round on all three scorecards, but Blanchfield made the necessary adjustments and took Rounds 2 and 3 in the eyes of all three judges to claim 29-28 scores across the board and claim the 13th win of her career, and extend her win streak to nine.
The main card kicked off with a quickfire knockout, as heavyweight slugger Junior Tafa finished Parker Porter in just 84 seconds. That win followed hot on the heels of the featured preliminary card bout, as Waldo Cortes-Acosta scored a first-round knockout of his own with a first-round stoppage of Lucasz Brzeski.
UFC Singapore: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Max Holloway def. "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 0:23
- Anthony Smith def. Ryan Spann via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Giga Chikadze def. Alex Caceres via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rinya Nakamura def. Fernie Garcia via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Erin Blanchfield def. Taila Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28
- Junior Tafa def. Parker Porter via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:24
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Lucasz Brzeski via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:01
- Garrett Armfield def. Toshiomi Kazama via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:16
- Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Chidi Njokuani via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:16
- Song Kenan def. Rolando Bedoya via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Billy Goff def. Yusaku Kinoshita via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:49
- JJ Aldrich def. Liang Na via TKO (punches and elbows) – Round 2, 4:49
- Choi Seung-Woo def. Jarno Errens via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
