UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie Lock on the Card (Archive)
Two title fights headline the UFC’s return to Pay Per View this Saturday, both of them title fights where someone named the Korean Zombie is headlining. This is not a drill, people. This is not a drill.
To say I am excited to see The Korean Zombie headline a UFC numbered event against Alexander Volkanovski for a UFC title would be putting it mildly. I had complaints from neighbors who could hear me yelling “It is finally happening” as far away as three blocks down the road, but this article is not about my excitement…it is about finding a lock on the card.
Below, I’ll go over the UFC odds and share a winning pick! Let’s begin.
Alex Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung
Featherweight Main Event Championship Bout
Saturday, April 09, 2022 – 07:00 PM EDT at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
Alex Volkanovski
When it comes to this card and a lock, it is Volkanovski. The dude is a straight-up killer and the last time he lost was in 2013 when the world and my pants size were way more kind than they are now. Now, I’m sad.
But for Volkanovski, this is a chance to continue to build off a resume that includes Brian Ortega, Max Holloway twice, Jose Aldo, and Chad Mendes, five former champions or top title contenders.
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Yet, Volkanovski looked more human in the second Holloway fight, so much so a trilogy fight was set for UFC 273, but an injury to Holloway would welcome the Korean Zombie into the mix as the next man up to fight for the Featherweight crown.
"The Korean Zombie”
If you look at this fight on paper, the first big issue for Zombie is his loss to common opponent Brian Ortega, who beat Zombie by unanimous decision in October 2020 and Volkanovski did the same to Ortega when they faced off 13 months later. Same for Jose Aldo, who got a TKO on Zombie in 2013, while Volk got the UD on Aldo six years later.
While The Korean Zombie has only lost two fights since that loss to Aldo, he did have a four-year break from competition, and any time he has gone past the first round in that time he’s been defeated. Which ain’t great when you’re facing a man who the entire time he’s been in the UFC has seen at least round two and has fought 18 rounds in his three fights. Then again it’s "the Korean Zombie".
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It feels impossible to count out the dude because he’s so tough, you don’t get the name "the Korean Zombie" for being a pushover. You get it for being psychotically violent and/or able to take a psychotic amount of violence and keep coming at your opponent.
The Verdict
While betting on Zombie at +500 available at the top-rated books is the all-time “bait bet” for die-hard fans who want to believe the Zombie would pull off the win and -800 for Volkanovski is shading the man known outside the Octagon as Chan Sung Jung, but Volk walking out with the title is my lock of the night.
On top of that, I’d look at taking the 'under' 4 ½ rounds (+115) for my UFC picks because odds are something psychotic may happen and those odds look solid enough to where it makes sense.
UFC Pick: Under 4 ½ Rounds (+115) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.