Should he lose Saturday, Chan Sung Jung says he believes he will still be considered a viable competitor in the UFC. However, his status as a world-class fighter and title contender would be diminished, and the fighter nicknamed the Korean Zombie is determined to avoid that fate. The fourth-rated Jung takes on No. 8-rated Dan Ige in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Jung vs. Ige in Las Vegas. The main UFC Fight Night: Jung vs. Ige fight card is slated for 7 p.m. ET from the promotion's Apex facility. Jung is a one-time title challenger who is coming off one of the worst performances of his career, a lopsided decision loss to second-ranked Brian Ortega. He can help restore his reputation and hopes for another title bid by beating Ige, who is looking for his signature UFC victory.
Jung and Ige are priced at -110 (risk $100 to win $100) each in the latest Korean Zombie vs. Ige odds from William Hill Sportsbook. In the co-main event, budding contender Sergey Spivak (-220) faces dangerous veteran Aleksei Oleinik (+190) in a heavyweight showdown. Before making any UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions from SportsLine analyst Ian Parker.
A former fighter who's been in the industry for 15 years, Parker has managed some of the world's best, including former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman, Costas Philippou and Gian Villante. Parker trained alongside UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra. Now, Parker breaks down fights and makes betting picks for the Voice of the UFC, Jon Anik.
Parker is coming off a mind-boggling 2020 season. On the Anik & Florian Podcast, Parker went an astounding 58-14, returning $9,465 to $100 bettors who followed him. He hit 11 of his 17 underdog picks and 19 of 30 main events. Overall, Parker nailed an astonishing 81 percent of his plays.
Parker has already proven his mettle to SportsLine members. Two weeks ago at UFC Fight Night, he encouraged SportsLine members to back veteran Marcin Tybura (-165) against Walt Harris (+145) in the heavyweight co-main event. Tybura scored a first-round stoppage to give Parker's followers another easy winner. Anyone who has followed Parker has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige fast approaching, Parker has studied the MMA odds and matchups from every angle and released his top MMA picks. A parlay of those selections would pay nearly 6-1. Those picks are available here.
UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige preview
Parker knows the main event will play a pivotal role in the future of a division that will soon see movement at the top. Reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski is set to take on second-ranked Brian Ortega in September at UFC 266 after they spend the summer opposing each other as coaches on the UFC reality program "The Ultimate Fighter."
Former champion Max Holloway, who is now ranked No. 1 despite a pair of close decision losses to Volkanovski, is set to face third-ranked Yair Rodriguez next month. The winner of Saturday's bout will likely face the winner of Holloway vs. Rodriguez in a title elimination fight.
Jung (16-6) earned his nickname "The Korean Zombie" in large part because of his reputation for withstanding severe punishment in order to deliver some of his own. His skill set also improved drastically along the way and he was climbing the UFC rankings before suffering a lopsided, five-round decision loss to Ortega in October.
That loss took away some of his momentum because Ortega dominated in almost every aspect of the fight, leaving some observers to wonder whether Jung was still a notch below world-class status.
He can quiet those critics by defeating Ige (15-3), who still has skeptics of his own despite winning seven of his past eight fights. By comparison, he has faced lesser competition than Jung, while his lone defeat came against the only top-five opponent he has fought in that span. Fifth-ranked Calvin Kattar outclassed him for a unanimous-decision victory in their five-round main event last July. You can only see who to back here.
UFC Fight Night: Jung vs. Ige predictions
We'll reveal one of Parker's UFC Fight Night selections here: He is backing Marlon Vera (-220) to get the best of Davey Grant (+190) in a matchup of surging bantamweight contenders on the main card.
The No. 15-ranked Vera (16-7-1) has 16 fights under the UFC banner even though he is still two years short of turning 30. He has consistently hung around in the rankings and once appeared headed toward potential title-shot contention on the strength of a five-fight win streak that spanned nearly two years. However, the rugged Ecuadorian brawler lost some momentum by dropping two of his three appearances in 2020, and is coming off a decision loss to former longtime champion Jose Aldo in December.
Grant (13-4) has shown a daunting mix of power and ground-game expertise while emerging as a potential contender by winning his last three UFC bouts, with two of them coming by knockout. The 35-year-old Englishman knocked out Jonathan Martinez in March and will likely crack the rankings should he earn his fourth consecutive UFC victory.
"I expect Vera to stop Grant's takedown attempts and slow him down with his strong kicking game. I believe Vera has fought the higher level of competition and that will help him," Parker told SportsLine.
How to make UFC Fight Night: Jung vs. Ige picks
Parker also has strong picks for The Korean Zombie vs. Ige and other fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing a "younger and more athletic fighter" to pull off a stoppage win, sending his backers straight to the pay window. Those selections are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Ige vs. The Korean Zombie? And what other picks do you need to see for a parlay with a nearly 6-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC Fight Night: Ige vs. Jung, all from the ultimate insider who's up nearly $9,500 on MMA picks in the past year, and find out.
UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige odds
Chan Sung Jung (-110) vs. Dan Ige (-110)
Sergey Spivak (-220) vs. Aleksei Oleinik (+190)
Tim Means (-185) vs. Danny Roberts (+165)
Marlon Vera (-220) vs. Davey Grant (+190)
Aleksa Camur (-250) vs. Nicolae Negumereanu (+210)
Bruno Silva (-145) vs. Wellington Turman (+125)
Khaos Williams (-170) vs. Matthew Semelsberger (+150)
Dhiego Lima (-170) vs. Matt Brown (+150)
Virna Jandiroba (-145) vs. Kanako Murata (+125)
Seung Woo Choi (-140) vs. Julian Erosa (+120)
Josh Parisian (-130) vs. Roque Martinez (+110)
Joaquim Silva (-120) vs. Rick Glenn (+100)
Lara Procopio (-145) vs. Casey O'Neill (+125)
