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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Farah Hannoun

Chan Sung Jung’s coach sought easier option than Max Holloway, but ‘this is the fight he wanted’

According to his coach, Chan Sung Jung got what he wanted in Max Holloway.

Jung (17-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) meets Holloway (24-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) in the headliner of UFC Fight Night on Aug. 26, which takes place at at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore and streams on ESPN+.

It’s a fight both men asked for, but after a lopsided TKO loss to featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 273, “The Korean Zombie” finds himself as a massive underdog against Holloway, who recently snapped Arnold Allen’s 10-fight winning streak. But Eddie Cha says although they would have preferred an easier fight, Jung is happy with the matchup.

“It doesn’t matter if he’s a 10-1 favorite or an underdog, he’s still going to go out there and do his thing,” Cha told Middle Easy. “But I don’t think there’s any pressure on him at all. He has everything to win. I think Holloway’s ranked No. 1 right now and he has nothing to really lose. More importantly, this is the fight he wanted.

“We all wanted an easier fight for him as he’s kind of going into the tail-end of his career, but he’s always looked up to Max and this is the fight he wanted, and we all want to see it. I said, ‘You’ve earned that right to kind of pick and choose who you want to fight with,’ and I think Max wanted it too. I think it’ll hopefully be a great matchup.”

According to DraftKings, Holloway is a -850 favorite, meaning a $850 bet would be needed on the former champion to return $100 profit. Jung is a +520 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the former title challenger would yield $520.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night event Aug. 26 in Singapore.

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