Fight Study (6/19/21)
The Main Event on Saturday will feature a featherweight bout between the division’s 8th ranked contender, Dan Ige, and the 4th ranked contender, Chan Sung Jung, in a fight from the UFC’s Apex in Las Vegas. This is the most narrowly handicapped fight on the card with Ige being the slightest of favorites. He will carry the bigger salary on Fanduel, while being priced slightly less than Jung on DraftKings. Those looking to roster Ige can do so for $8,000 on DraftKings and $19 on Fanduel. Those looking to put Jung into their lineups can enter him for $8,200 and $18 respectively. As the Main Event, this fight is scheduled for 5 rounds of action. Current betting lines make this fight a -125 favorite to reach a decision.
Ige has a career record of 15-3 with 4 wins by KO/TKO, 5 wins by submission and 6 wins by decision. He is 7-2 in the UFC with 3 finishes inside the octagon – all coming in the first round. Most recently, he stunned Gavin Tucker with a power right hand to the chin just 22 seconds into their fight in March of this year. However, in fights lasting longer than 90 seconds since joining the UFC, Ige has gone to a decision in all 6 with 2 wins by unanimous decision, 2 wins by split decision and 2 losses by unanimous decision. He has only gone beyond the third round once, losing a unanimous five-round decision to Calvin Kattar last July.
Jung is more commonly known as The Korean Zombie due to the relentlessness of his attack inside the octagon. He has a record of 16-6 with 6 wins by KO/TKO, 8 wins by submission and 2 wins by decision. He is 6-3 in the UFC with his only losses inside the octagon coming against high level competition. Those losses were to Jose Aldo (fourth round TKO), Yair Rodriguez (fifth round KO), and Brian Ortega (five-round unanimous decision). He has just once been finished prior to the championship rounds when he was KO’d in the second round back in 2010. Since entering the UFC, all 6 victories for The Korean Zombie have come inside the distance with 4 wins by KO/TKO and 2 wins by submission with 4 of those wins coming in the first round.
This fight features two well-rounded fighters with good skills on both the ground and on their feet. The Korean Zombie tends to be the better striker, however, and he should have the edge in a stand-up fight. On the ground, it is a toss-up with both men excelling in their grappling. Both fighters have the ability to end fights quickly, but when the fights go beyond the first minute and a half, Ige’s results go way down. The Korean Zombie has never been finished in the first round and has only once been finished before the fourth round. This points toward an advantage for him as the fight progresses. Additionally, while Ige has just once fought into the championship rounds, The Korean Zombie has fought beyond the third round on 4 occasions.
I can’t ignore the possibility of a quick finish for either of these fighters, but in scenarios lasting beyond the first round, I like the Korean Zombie to have the better chance to win. Further, his experience in the championship rounds should give him an edge in the fourth and fifth rounds. Inside the first round, I believe both men are capable of getting a big finish, but outside of the first round I prefer The Korean Zombie. For this reason, I prefer him in both cash lineups and GPP contests. If he can survive the first round, I like him to score well and expect him to win this fight. However, given Ige’s ability to finish quickly, he is more than worthy of a fair amount of exposure in GPP contests as well. Both fighters are priced above average on Fanduel, giving them better value on DraftKings where both fighters are priced near the average. Still, this fight is worthy of heavy exposure on Fanduel as well.
That’s all for this edition of Fight Study. For more advice on DraftKings contests, click HERE. For advice on Fanduel contests, click HERE. Good luck with your lineups!
