This very busy month for the UFC continutes tonight with another Fight Night on ESPN+. UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. Jung will once again bring us back to UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi for another great night of fights, including a meeting of two great featherweight contenders.
A future title shot could very well be on the line in tonight’s main event when two of the best in the UFC’s featherweight division step into the octagon. Plus, two of the best female fighters in the world go toe-to-toe and two up-and-coming light heavyweights look to take another step forward.
Let’s take a closer look at those fights:
Light Heavyweight bout: Jim Crute vs. Modestas Bukauskas
There’s an international flavor in this bout between two young promising light heavyweights. Crute will look to string together his second straight win after a submission win back in February. The 24-year-old Australian sports an impressive 11-1 record with four wins by knockout and four by submission. With those well-rounded skills, he can look to finish his opponent in any way he wants.
Across the octagon, Bukauskas will look to keep his very impressive win streak going. The 26-year-old Lithuainian is 11-2 and has won seven in a row. Perhaps even more impressively, he has finished each of his last seven opponents, with the last five falling victim to knockout losses. While Bukauskas has shown some grappling skills, to the tune of two submission victories, he will likely want to keep this one on the feet to keep his win streak rolling.
Women’s Flyweight bout: Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jessica Andrade
With the sport of Women’s MMA being so young, it feels as though all of the top fighters in the world have already faced each other at some point. Surprisingly, that is not the case here. This is going to be a fun matchup between two of the best. Chookagian is the tip contender in the Women’s Flyweight division and is looking to get another shot at the champ. Her 14-3 record speaks for itself, and while she has only finished three of her opponents, she is certainly a handful for anyone who steps into the cage with her.
On the flip side, the Andrade is looking to snap a two-fight losing streak and get back into the title picture. Despite her recent struggles, Andrade still boasts a 20-8 record and has faced off with some of the best. She doesn’t currently hold a spot in the Flyweight rankings, but she is the number two contender in the women’s Strawweight division. Even with her moving up to a heavier class and coming off of back-to-back losses, Andrade is actually favored over Chookagian in this bout. This could certainly be a statement victory for either of these two fighters.
Featherweight bout: Brian Ortega vs. Chan Sung Jung
The UFC as created with the idea of seeing specialists in different styles of fighting battle it out to see which style is the most effective. Today, just about every fighter comes in with a wide variety of skills so that they can compete in any kind of fight. Still, every now and then, we see someone whose skillset in a specific style is head and shoulders above the rest.
That is the case for Ortega. The submission specialist spots a 14-1 record with seven wins by submission. His Guillotine and Triangle chokes are two of the most dangerous the sport has ever seen and he has put away a number of opponents with them. He can also get it done in the striking game however, with the knockout victories, including one over future surefire Hall of Fame inductee Frankie Edgar. The number two Featherweight contender will likely look to open Jung up with strikes before moving in to look for a submission.
Of course, that’s easier said than done when your opponent has 21 fights under his belt and has never been submitted. The fourth-ranked Jung is one of the toughest fighters the sport has ever seen, earning himself the nickname “The Korean Zombie.” Jung is an accomplished striker with six knockout wins, also including one over Edgar, but he is also no slouch on the floor, with eight wins by submission. His 16-5 record speaks to his talent, but it’s the unbelievable wars he gets into that make him such a fan-favorite. Jung will take this fight wherever it goes and give Ortega everything he’s got.
UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen will air tonight, October 17 at 7 PM ET on ESPN+.