HOUSTON – After three and a half years away from the octagon, Chan Sung Jung’s zombie-like toughness hasn’t gone anywhere.
Repeatedly rocked early by Dennis Bermudez (16-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC), Jung (14-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) survived and retaliated with an uppercut that sent Bermudez to the mat at the 2:49 mark of the first round.
The featherweight bout was the main event of today’s UFC Fight Night 104 event at Toyota Center in Houston. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.
There were questions about how Jung would perform after an extended layoff due to mandatory military service in his native South Korea. But the 29-year-old came right in and mixed it up with Bermudez, the No. 12 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings.
Initially, Bermudez was able to keep Jung at bay by mixing strikes with takedown attempts. An overhand right caught Jung flush and put him on wobbly legs, and a follow up hurt him again.
But as it turned out, Jung, known for brawling without regard for consequence, was just getting started. He goaded Bermudez with outstretched arms and walked back into the pocket, where he fired off a lead uppercut that sent his opponent crashing to the mat. Follow-up punches were academic.
The last time Jung was seen in the UFC, he was on the losing end of a decision against now-former champ Jose Aldo in 2013. The layoff didn’t go unnoticed.
“It definitely felt different from sparring, so when I got in here, I felt like, ‘This is the real thing,'” Jung said via interpreter.
Jung gets back into the win column and makes a big statement in his return fight, while Bermudez sees a two-fight streak snapped.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 104 results include:
For complete coverage UFC Fight Night 104, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson and John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Houston.)
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