This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Singapore, we saw a battle between two featherweight legends. Former champion Max Holloway (25-7) was looking for his second straight victory as he took on the legendary Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung (17-8).
After Holloway defeated Arnold Allen back in April, he openly talked about his interest in fighting Chan Sung Jung. For all the years that both men were ranked near the very top of the featherweight division, they never fought each other. That changed on Saturday night.
The fight completely delivered as we all expected. The first round was filled with exchanges where both men appeared to hurt the other at times. In the second round, Holloway dropped and nearly finished Chan Sung Jung. However, TKZ stayed alive and battled to the third round.
Jung came out with guns blazing to start to the third round. Holloway stayed in the pocket and fired right back. In the middle of a wild exchange, Holloway landed a brutal right that face planted the Zombie giving Holloway the knockout victory at UFC Singapore.
What’s next after UFC Singapore?
This was a massive win for Holloway who has now won two in a row since his last loss to Alexander Volkanovski. Getting back to the featherweight title is Holloway’s sole focus, but he knows getting a fourth crack at Volkanovski might be hard. That said, Holloway plans to be undeniable in his pursuit of another title shot.
So, what does the UFC do with Holloway next? Personally, I don’t think we see Holloway the rest of the year. I think you’ll see the promotion ask Holloway to wait things out. Alexander Volkanovski is likely defending his title against Ilia Topuria next. Should Topuria win, Holloway could get the next shot at the title especially if Volkanovski needs time to recover.
Holloway could be asked to be the backup fighter for that event as well. If Volkanovski were to win, Holloway might get his shot, but I could also see him needing to get one more win. It’s just hard to justify another fight when he’s 0-3 against the champion. That said, as Max has pointed out, if he keeps beating everyone else, he becomes undeniable.