Chan Sung Jung, better known as the “Korean Zombie”, recently was outclassed in his bout against Brian Ortega. It was quite a shock for many fighting fans as Jung was the betting favorite in this fight. After his loss, UFC announced that Ortega will be challenging Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title. Where does this leave The Korean Zombie?

At the age of 33 with an 0-1 record in title shots, as well as being dropped in the rankings to number 5, it begs to question what is left for Jung. A climb back to the top seems endless. Jung could weigh in the option of retiring and potentially be inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame, but it would be difficult not to see Jung inside the Octagon. It would at least take two or three wins for another future title shot. However, if Jung loses one more fight, his legacy could be tarnished. The love that I and UFC fans have for the Korean Zombie is tremendous and it would be saddening to see a decline. What would be a good bounce back fight though? The lightweight division is pretty stacked. Josh Emmet is the first choice that comes to mind, especially after his spectacular win over Shane Burgos. There are also rumors of a bout between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yair Rodríguez, with the loser being a good matchup for Jung. As a big fan of the Korean Zombie, I hope he bounces back from this loss.

Alistair Overeem is an absolute legend and has nothing else to prove in MMA, but he has an upcoming bout that can potentially put him in discussions for a title shot. In Overeem’s past five fights, he is 3-2 and ranked sixth in the UFC heavyweight promotion after coming off a big win against Walt Harris. I believe if he wins his fight against Augusto Sakai, he will be in the talks for a higher ranking opponent that would allow him to continue his path of domination in the heavyweight division. However, if Overeem loses his fight against Sakai, it could possibly be the last time we see Overeem step into the Octagon.

Sakai is on a six-fight win streak and is ranked ninth, but he has not faced the likes of Overeem. With a 15-1 record, Sakai has less to lose in this fight because he is much younger by a decade. Even if he loses, it will still be easy to get over it as Overeem is a proven top tier veteran. However, a win over Overeem will move him up three spots in the ranking and he will be sitting under the top five heavyweights in the world. If Sakai also beats a legend like Overeem, it will steer his career to stardom. 

The fight will either pave the way for another run towards a title shot for Overeem or see him hang up the gloves. It can also be stardom for Sakai or just be a bump in the road that he must overcome. Stay tuned for future updates.

Jon Jones vacated his light heavyweight title to move up to heavyweight. He has been dominating the light heavyweight division for years and defended the title eleven times. Currently, he is tied with Demetrious Johnson for the most title defenses in UFC history. What does the heavyweight division have in store for Jon Jones? Many questions linger for what he will do in the meantime as Francis Ngannou is next in line for a title bout.

The heavyweight division has a lot to offer Jones. I believe the winner of the Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes bout would be a great opponent for him. Jairzinho Rozenstruik came off of a great win against Junior Dos Santos and he would be a great competitor for Jones as well. The other option for Jones is Alistair Overeem. He is coming off a win and has experience in K-1 kickboxing that will create a great striking match against Jones.

Yet, Jones needs to get his feet wet in heavyweight before he aims for a title shot. He should consider a fighter who is in at least the top six of the rankings. I believe he only needs one win in the heavyweight division to get a title shot. We now just see what is in store for Jones and his future bout.

At UFC Fight Night, Austin Dustin Poirier won in spectacular fashion against Dan Hooker by unanimous decision. What’s next for Poirier? He is currently 31 and in his prime as he has fought in both the featherweight and lightweight division. Poirier had a chance at the championship belt against Khabib Nurmagomedov and lost. He still has a lot of options due to his win against Hooker  and can potentially wait for another title shot against either Justin Gaethje or Khabib Nurmagomedov after their fight. If Gaethje wins against Khabib, Poirier’s odds are slightly higher at taking the belt from him since Gaethje has a prior loss to Poirier. Poirier can also have a potential rematch with Khabib if he can defend his title against Gaethje.

Two other options that come to mind is Poirier and Connor McGregor having a rematch. Dustin stated he would rather wait for a Nurmagomedov rematch instead of McGregor. McGregor did not take what Poirier said with a grain of salt and instead went on a tirade through Twitter. He said Poirier would rather lose by being held down the whole time instead of a TKO. McGregor also stated that Poirier’s loss to Nurmagomedov was by being held down and choked out while Poirier lost to him by TKO. Poirier can jump to the defense and fight McGregor immediately, but waiting for the belt seems to be the better option. Even at his age, Poirier can also move up to 170 pounds as his next option and be a dominant boxer in that division. With age, it becomes harder to cut weight, but seeing Poirier at 170 pounds would be a treat. Poirier will be incredible to watch and there could be amazing matchups to make if he decides to make that jump.

Fight Night 168 was an event that made you jump out of your seat with sentimental moments. Dan Hooker won by split decision, but it may have been a controversial victory since the fight took place in his hometown. Despite the potential scoring advantage, it seemed as though Paul Felder was the clear victor as he won three out of the five rounds. Since his face was damaged and his legs were swollen, these elements could have played a role in the judge’s scoring. Dan Hooker put on a spectacular fight in using his range as an advantage the whole fight, but he did get rocked a couple of times during the exhibition. Hooker achieved an amazing take down in the last round which really improved his score. Even with the astounding performance by the two competitors, what happened after the match shook the audience. Dan Hardy interviewed an emotional Felder as he stated, “That might be it for me”. The fans in Auckland roared with cheers after hearing the news. Felder then mentions his daughter and started to tear up as he began to take off his glove. With his career potentially concluding, Hooker comes in to raise Felder’s hand. For many that grew up watching him in their childhood, this moment touched the hearts of many who watched around the world. If Felder retires, he will go down as one of the greatest fighters to do it.

After this moment, Hardy goes up to interview Hooker and he called out Justin Gaethje for his next opponent. Gaethje has not fought since September of 2019 as he’s waiting for a shot at Conor McGregor. Hooker is going to be out for a while due to his war with Felder, which gives Gaetje time to decide if he wants to fight Hooker or hold off for more money with a fight against McGregor. UFC Fight Night 168 did not disappoint and gave a glimpse to future bouts in the UFC.

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