'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The UFC’s 20th-anniversary show from Denver – the birthplace of the promotion back in 1993 – wasn’t a major pay-per-view card as it was only coming a week removed from UFC 230 in Madison Square Garden, but for a Fight Night show it was a relatively strong card.
‘Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung made his return in the main event to take on hot prospect Yair Rodriguez in a fight that almost guaranteed fireworks – and delivered hugely in the end – while the co-main event saw a return to form for Donald Cerrone as he submitted Mike Perry in the waning seconds of the first round.
With a card filled with prospects and veterans alike, there were bound to be at least some surprises throughout the night, and indeed, we got a handful of really shocking moments that should be remembered fondly when the year ends.
Here are 3 surprises from UFC Fight Night 139: Korean Zombie vs. Rodriguez
#1: Rodriguez’s wild elbow ends an instant classic
The main event fight between the ‘Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung and TUF: Latin America winner Yair Rodriguez was a tricky one to pick coming in, with plenty of variables making it an almost impossible choice. And in execution, both men got their licks in with defense apparently being the last thing on either fighter’s mind.
A bonafide contender for the Fight of the Year, early on it appeared that Rodriguez’s wild, kick-heavy offensive game was giving him the edge, but as the fight went on, Jung began to come back – outboxing the Mexican with his combinations and bloodying him up, stunning him on more than one occasion too.
Coming into the 5th round, the scorecards read 39-37, 39-37 and 38-38 with Jung ahead – meaning Rodriguez would’ve almost needed a miracle to win. And as Jung appeared to be bossing that round too, the miracle didn’t look likely to happen at all.
That was until literally the dying seconds – when Jung stepped forward, only to be met by an upward elbow from Rodriguez, who ducked and basically threw the strike blindly. The Korean Zombie was knocked out instantly and somehow, ‘El Pantera’ had snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat.
UFC President Dana White has already called it “the craziest finish ever” and he probably isn’t far wrong. This was the definition of a crazy surprise on a UFC show!
#2: Barber carves Cifers up
The Women’s Strawweight tilt between Dana White’s Contender Series alum Maycee Barber and newcomer Hannah Cifers was always a big question mark as far as its spot on a UFC main card went. It was clear that the UFC brass was looking to push Barber, and for good reason – she’s just 20 years old, is pretty, and looked exciting on the Contender Series. But there was still a lot of mystery surrounding exactly how she’d do in the UFC proper.
The fight was splitting online analysts, with many feeling Cifers could be a better athlete than Barber, and with both women only ever having crushed overmatched opposition, there were worries that this could be a step too far for ‘The Future’. 4 of Bloody Elbow’s writers, for instance, took Cifers to win.
Instead, Barber proved that she’s definitely a prospect to watch by putting a one-sided beating on her opponent, carving her up with elbows and clinch work in the first round before destroying her with ground-and-pound in the second. By the time the fight was mercifully stopped, Cifers was a bloody mess and the Denver crowd had seen their most violent fight yet.
Many expected Barber to impress, but fewer experts figured she’d look quite this good in her first outing inside the Octagon. In pre-fight interviews she’d promised to become the UFC’s youngest ever champion – and judging on this performance it’s a possibility for sure.
#3: De Randamie makes her case
After her farcical run as UFC Women’s Featherweight champion ended with her relinquishing her title rather than fight Cris Cyborg, few UFC fans were expecting to hear much more from Germaine de Randamie. The Dutch striker had withdrawn from two straight fights since, and when she was matched with tough former title challenger Raquel Pennington here, it sounded disastrous for her.
Surprisingly though, she put on probably the most impressive performance of her UFC career. Despite missing weight by 3 pounds – something the UFC powerbrokers may yet hold against her going forward – de Randamie looked fantastic in the Octagon, easily outpointing Pennington for a unanimous decision.
‘Rocky’ simply couldn’t get anything going, as she found herself outgunned by a better striker from range – something to be expected – but she was also well beaten in the clinch, and couldn’t take de Randamie down to get her ground work going either.
Considering how tough Pennington looked against Amanda Nunes – arguably the best female fighter in MMA right now – in May, it was a surprise to see her smacked around by ‘The Iron Lady’ like this. With her win, de Randamie made a case for being considered a title challenger at 135lbs – something few fans would’ve expected coming in.
