LAS VEGAS — Two UFC featherweights angling for a future title shot will square off Saturday night at the UFC Apex as Chan Sung Jung, also known as the Korean Zombie, meets Dan Ige in the main event of UFC Fight Night.
Jung (16-6) will look to rebound from a five-round loss to Brian Ortega back in October. The South Korean might have earned himself a title shot had he won that bout, but will instead try to avoid his first losing streak since 2010.
This fight is a massive opportunity for Ige (15-3), who has compiled an impressive 7-2 record in the UFC but has yet to collect that signature name that would put his résumé over the top. Ige, who was born in Hawaii and now fights out of Las Vegas, is coming off a 22-second knockout of Gavin Tucker in March.
The co-main event is a heavyweight bout between Aleksei Oleinik, ranked No. 15 by the UFC, and Serghei Spivac, who has won his last two and three of his last four.
Follow along with recaps after every fight from Brett Okamoto or watch UFC Fight Night on ESPN+.
Fight in progress:
Welterweight: Khaos Williams (11-2, 2-1 UFC, -150) vs. Matthew Semelsberger (8-2, 2-0 UFC, +125)
Results:
Heavyweight: Josh Parisian (14-4, 1-1 UFC) defeats Roque Martinez (15-8-2, 0-3 UFC) by split decision
Parisian, a Contender Series alum, picked up his first UFC win in a heavyweight bout that turned into a war of attrition. Parisian, 31, and Martinez, 35, regularly exchanged punches and knees in the clinch and at boxing range throughout. It was very back and forth, as shown by the scores. Two judges had it 29-28 for Parisian, another saw it 29-28 for Martinez.
Twins 😁 #UFCVegas29@JoshParisian x @bisping pic.twitter.com/V24OpgtJ0m
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 19, 2021
Martinez, of Guam, showed good pressure on the feet, particularly in the opening round. He threw punches to move into the clinch, and cut Parisian under his left eye early in the fight.
Parisian adapted to the pressure in the second and third rounds, however, and did a better job mixing up his strikes. His knees to the body were very effective, as were his front kick and elbows over the top. Martinez continued to work and land winging punches. The third round was razor close.
Parisian joined the UFC last year and lost his promotional debut to Parker Porter in November.
Lightweight: Rick Glenn (22-6-1, 4-3 UFC) defeats Joaquim Silva (11-4, 4-3 UFC) by first-round TKO
Glenn, of Marshalltown, Iowa, has been fighting professionally for nearly 15 years. Saturday’s knockout might have been his best yet.
Glenn, 32, made quick work of Silva, as he put the Brazilian out with punches just 37 seconds into their lightweight bout. It was Glenn’s first finish in the UFC, and first overall since 2016.
Ricky Glenn made a MAJOR statement in his return to the Octagon 😳 #UFCVegas29 pic.twitter.com/VtBaaUQfNn
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 19, 2021
The finish came shortly after Glenn hurt Silva badly with a counter left hand, as Silva came forward with punches. Silva managed to bounce back up but was still hurt, and referee Mike Beltran stepped in after Glenn dropped him again with a short uppercut.
It was a welcome result for Glenn, who hadn’t competed since November 2018 due to injury and a positive COVID-19 test in December.
Women’s flyweight: Casey O’Neill (7-0, 2-0 UFC) defeats Lara Procopio (7-2, 1-2 UFC) by third-round submission
Australian flyweight prospect O’Neill remained undefeated with an impressive upset win over Brazil’s Procopio.
O’Neill, who was born in Scotland but fights out of Australia, submitted Procopio via rear-naked choke at the 2:54 mark of the third round. O’Neill has now finished both of the opponents she’s faced in the UFC. She scored a TKO against Shana Dobson in February.
Put her to sleep 😴@kingcaseymma locked up the third-round submission at #UFCVegas29 pic.twitter.com/V4mpfP5oWD
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 19, 2021
The submission capped off a very complete showing by the 23-year-old O’Neill, who has only been fighting professionally since 2019. After a competitive opening round that took place primarily on the feet, O’Neil settled into her ground game, with elbows from top position and the submission finish.
Procopio, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, was actually the one who first looked to take things to the ground. But O’Neill proved to be quite comfortable there, and made Procopio pay on multiple occasions with strikes on the ground and strikes in the clinch after defending takedown attempts.
Still to come:
Men’s featherweight: Chan Sung Jung (16-6, 6-3 UFC, +105) vs. Dan Ige (15-3, 7-2 UFC, -125)
Heavyweight: Aleksei Oleinik (59-15-1, 8-6 UFC, +190) vs. Serghei Spivac (12-2, 3-2 UFC, -230)
Men’s bantamweight: Marlon Vera (16-7-1, 10-6 UFC, -200) vs. Davey Grant (13-4, 5-2 UFC, +170)
Men’s featherweight: Julian Erosa (25-9, 3-4 UFC, +120) vs. Seungwoo Choi (9-3, 2-2 UFC, -140)
Middleweight: Wellington Turman (16-4, 1-2 UFC, +105) vs. Bruno Silva (19-6, 0-0 UFC, -125)
Welterweight: Matt Brown (24-18, 15-12 UFC, +145) vs. Dhiego Lima (17-8, 4-6 UFC, -170)
Light heavyweight: Aleksa Camur (6-1, 2-1 UFC, -240) vs. Nicolae Negumereanu (9-1, 0-1 UFC, +200)
Strawweight: Virna Jandiroba (16-2, 2-2 UFC, -130) vs. Kanako Murata (12-1, 1-0 UFC, +110)