UFC 273 marks another title defense for Alexander Volkanovski. Volkanovski was originally slated to fight Max Holloway until Max had to pull out due to injury. Volkanovski was pretty vocal that Korean Zombie was the opponent he wanted to fight and this title fight was booked shortly after. There is a second title fight on this card in the Co-Main event, Aljamain Sterling vs Petr Yan. Sterling defends his belt vs Yan after winning the belt due to Yan being disqualified the first time those two combatants fought each other. Yan and Sterling’s teams have traded threats this week in the media.
The Skillset of Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski is underrated. He has a well-rounded skillset. Volkanovski has tremendous cardio. He is a very good striker with power who attacks the head and legs with his strikes and mixes in the occasional body shot. He is a strong grappler and willing to push the pace with his takedowns and control his opponents on the ground, position on the ground over submissions. He pushes forward, set the pace, and has good striking volume. Volkanovski also has a knack for not getting hit with the big shot that does damage to hit. He uses good head movement and distance control to stay out of the way of power punches. Volkanovski is the champion of the UFC Featherweight Division and is looking to defend his belt.
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The Skillset of Chan Sung Jung
Chan Sung Jung goes by the name Korean Zombie and I’m sure some casual fans would not identify him by his real name. Zombie is a powerful striker with a well-rounded game as well. Zombie likes to keep the fight standing and strike. He uses good distance control and is opportunistic in closing distance to strike his opponents with powerful shots. He will mix in some body shots and kicks but he is predominately a head hunter. He is not a volume striker.
Zombie has two fights that stick out to me as indicators that this will be a tough matchup with Volkanovski. His fights with Brian Ortega and Jose Aldo. Zombie was taken down eight times in those two fights. Zombie was also badly outstruck by Brian Ortega in both volume and execution. Zombie is going to be hard-pressed to win a five-round decision vs Alexander Volkanovski. Zombie needs to pick his spots within the first three rounds to put combinations together and finish the champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Alexander Volkanovski vs Korean Zombie significant strike accuracy by target:
— MMA By The Numbers (@NumbersMMA) April 6, 2022
Head
Volk: 48.6%
KZ: 39.3%
Body
Volk: 68.1%
KZ: 70.3%
Leg
Volk: 78.4%
KZ: 75.5%
Overall
Volk: 56.8%
KZ: 42.7%#UFC273
The Stats
- Alexander Volkanovski averages 6.42 strikes landed per minute, Korean Zombie averages 4.07 strikes landed per minute
- Alexander Volkanovski averages 1.77 takedowns per 15 minutes with a 34% takedown accuracy
- Korean Zombie has a 77% takedown defense
Picking a Winner
My pick to win the Main Event:
- Alexander Volkanovski
My preferred bet for the Main Event:
- Prop: Alexander Volkanovski by KO/TKO (+225) on Pointsbet
Alexander Volkanovski has shown that he is capable of cruising to a victory in this matchup vs Korean Zombie. As stated earlier, the decision path to victory favors Alexander Volkanovski. Zombie is going to have a difficult time winning rounds unless he is able to connect with Volkanovski and score a knockdown. Volkanovski is going to push forward and be the higher-volume striker. The grappling advantage also resides with Volkanovski. There are a few ways you can attack this fight as a bettor. I am being aggressive here and will be betting Alexander Volkanovski by KO/TKO. The power and volume will be too much. My expectation is that Volkanovski will hurt Zombie in the later rounds with strikes and finish this fight with ground and pound.
Use key metrics to get an in-depth preview of #UFC273's biggest fights ⤵️:https://t.co/swwhYBovIX
— UFC News (@UFCNews) April 6, 2022
