What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 12 in Greenville, S.C.? Here’s a few post-fight thoughts …
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1. This Zombie’s not dead
The insanity of Chan Sung Jung being put down by Yair Rodriguez seven months ago is hard to forget. However, it can’t be dismissed that “The Korean Zombie” was about to get a decision in his favor had he not thrown caution to the wind with a final-second flurry in the fifth round.
A knockout like that makes it easy to paint a certain narrative about a fighter, but Jung split that path and created a new one for himself by demolishing a legit top-10 opponent in Renato Moicano in under a minute. Now he’s suddenly been discussed as a featherweight contender again.
People expect a crazy war when Jung gets in the cage. His past two wins have come by first-round knockout, though, and if he can string together a couple more performances like that, the loss to Rodriguez will largely fade from memory, and the South Korean fighter can join the title discussion.
For everything he’s been through, too, Jung is just 32. If he can work his way there, a potential fight with Max Holloway would be a must-watch.
2. More questions about Moicano
Less than seven months ago Moicano, was in Toronto weighing in as an alternate for the Holloway vs. Brian Ortega title fight at UFC 231. He was right on the cusp of a shot at featherweight gold, but now the Brazilian finds himself on the outside looking in.
Prior to being taken out by Jung, there were some understandable justifications for Moicano’s career losses. Back in July 2017, he was more than handling himself in a fight with Ortega, only to be caught in a submission with two minutes left. Unfortunate loss, but we know how Ortega is capable from pulling victory from the jaws of defeat. It happens.
Then there was the loss to Jose Aldo in February. Moicano was doing well again early in the fight, but said he got overanxious in pursuit of the finish. The veteran ex-champion Aldo was able to capitalize and stunned Moicano for a second-round TKO. When facing someone with Aldo’s experience, there can’t be any mistakes.
The loss to Jung, however, is difficult to digest. It could be summed up to Moicano just eating a ridiculous fastball punch when Jung was still filled with energy, but it will likely serve as a haunting result. He’s still only 30 and can absolutely bounce back from this two-fight skid, but the pressure will truly be on for the next one.
3. Heavyweight is coming along
UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard deserves a tip of the cap for what he’s done with the heavyweight division in recent years. For most of this decade, the weight class has been admonished as one of the worst in the UFC, and while it certainly hasn’t risen to being the best, there’s promising growth to the weight class.
Jair Rozenstruik sent a reminder that there’s some talent to watch when he simply smoked Allen Crowder with a nine-second knockout. That’s the kind of stuff that’s going to generate interest in the next wave of heavyweights, and “Bigi Boy” isn’t alone in terms of flourishing talent.
Is Rozenstruik anywhere near ready to join the title discussion? Heck no. But once champ Daniel Cormier opts to retire from the sport (and especially if he beats Stipe Miocic again before doing so), the heavyweight division is going to blow wide open. A guy like Rozenstruik could be a player if he continues to develop, and he’s not the only person fairly new to the UFC roster with that potential.
4. De La Rosa brought the flash, but Lee had the goods
Based on the body of work in the octagon it was easy to get excited about Montana De La Rosa. Just 24 and three straight UFC wins, all by submission? That’s quality, but not good enough to get by Andrea Lee.
Lee showed De La Rosa the next level in a unanimous-decision victory that now has “KGB” on a three-fight winning streak. Sure, those wins have all come by going to the scorecards, but it was evident Lee was a notch above De La Rosa in most areas and that she’s the one deserving of attention in the women’s flyweight division.
Did either fighter look like they have a shot at dethroning the fearsome champion Valentina Shevchenko? Not really. But Lee showed tools that would give a better feeling about that potential matchup down the line. And that was in a performance she was highly critical of afterward.
5. Matt Wiman comeback ends in shambles
After nearly five years off where he admitted there wasn’t a whole lot of training going on, Matt Wiman’s comeback didn’t go so well. The toughness was absolutely there, but for the most part, he looked like a fighter whose game was stuck in 2014, and he simply couldn’t handle Luis Pena.
Whether it was on the feet or the ground, Wiman was a step behind Pena. His approach of throwing single leg kicks and rolling for knee bars and heel hooks at every opportunity just felt dated, and Pena made him pay the price.
Wiman kept coy about his motivations for finally returning to MMA pre-fight, and it’s unlikely he’ll share much more post-fight. The type of beatdown he took will either make him question the decision to come back or light a fire for him to try again in hopes of a different result. Only time will tell which direction he goes.
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