UFC 140 Fight Card Primer: Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung

by Fraser Coffeen on Dec 10, 2011 3:30 PM EST in UFC Event

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 09: (L-R) Featherweight opponents Mark Hominick and Chan Sung Jung face off after weighing in during the UFC 140 Official Weigh-in at the Air Canada Centre on December 9, 2011 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

At UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida, former #1 contender Mark Hominick (20-9; 3-1 UFC) fights Chan Sung Jung, "The Korean Zombie" (11-3; 1-0 UFC). This fight is in the Featherweight division and is the opening bout on the PPV card. Hominick is surrently the #8 Featherweight in the world according to the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings, while Jung is unranked. The PPV card begins Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

These are two complete mixed martial artists, with submission wins on their resumes, but let's be honest, this one is going to be a stand-up war. Both men love the striking game, though Jung comes at it from more of a fast-paced slugfest standpoint, while Hominick is much more technical. It's the perfect kind of PPV opener - fast, exciting, with two very skilled opponents.

How do these two stack up?

Hominick: 29 years old | 5'8" | 68.5" reach
Jung: 24 years old | 5'9" | 72" reach

What have these two done recently?

Hominick: L - Jose Aldo (UD) | W - George Roop (TKO) | W - Leonard Garcia (SD)
Jung: W - Leonard Garcia (Sub) | L - George Roop (TKO) | L - Leonard Garcia (SD)

How did these two get here?

How did they get here? Apparently by fighting George Roop and Leonard Garcia quite a lot...

Mark Hominick is looking to get back to the winning side after falling short in his effort to win the UFC Featherweight title from Jose Aldo. That UFC 129 fight saw Hominick suffer a nasty hematoma that deformed his head. But Hominick was game, and fought on against the very tough Aldo. Before that loss he was on a 7-1 streak with some of the best work of his career. This will likely be an emotional fight for Hominick, as it will be the first time he returns to the ring since the sudden death of his long-time trainer, mentor, and friend Shawn Tompkins. Hominick's stand-up game is a direct result of his work with Tompkins, and that loss had to have been tough for The Machine.

The Korean Zombie will forever be known for his wild Fight of Year brawl with Leonard Garcia at the WEC: Aldo vs. Faber PPV. Jung ended up on the losing end of that fight, though many felt he should have had the judges' decision. He's 1-1 since then, suffering the first stoppage loss of his career at the hands (or, more accurately, foot) of George Roop, then submitting Garcia in a rematch earlier this year. That submission vis twister remains a highlight of UFC action in 2011. Jung feels like he is being overlooked in this fight, and will look to make a huge impact by beating the top 10 Hominick.

Why should you care?

This fight is going to be a blast. Jung may have slowed down his Korean Zombie style offense, but he is still very unpredictable and fun, as that twister on Garcia showed. And if you are a fan of stand-up, it doesn't get much better from a technical standpoint than Hominick.

More UFC 140 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump.