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The UFC returns to Las Vegas this weekend for UFC Vegas 29: Korean Zombie vs. Dan Ige.
UFC Vegas 29 is naturally a big step down in card quality from last weekend’s UFC 263, but there’s still plenty to pique the interest of MMA fans here.
Most notably, the main event should be a crazy throwdown between two exciting featherweights.
Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Vegas 29: Korean Zombie vs. Dan Ige.
#1 UFC Featherweight division: Chan Sung Jung vs. Dan Ige
Serving as the main event for UFC Vegas 29 is an exciting featherweight clash between strikers Dan Ige and Chan Sung Jung, aka the Korean Zombie.
Both men have suffered disappointing losses in recent fights, Jung to Brian Ortega, Ige to Calvin Kattar. While neither man is outright in UFC title contention right now, a big win for either could put them into that picture.
Jung is almost certainly the more proven fighter at the top level. He’s been in the octagon with everyone from Jose Aldo and Dustin Poirier to Frankie Edgar and Brian Ortega in his decade with the promotion.
Jung hasn’t always won his fights, but anyone with just three UFC losses – to Ortega, Aldo, and Yair Rodriguez – is clearly a serious talent.
'The Korean Zombie' is known primarily for his striking. A heavy hitter with KO power in both hands, he’s also the owner of a truly iron chin – hence his nickname – and it’d probably be unwise for any fighter in the UFC to get into a wild brawl with him.
But Jung is also a solid technical striker, capable of using a stiff jab, cutting angles with his footwork, and setting up his punches with feints.
On the ground, he’s a genuinely skilled grappler. Obviously, he’s most famous for his use of the twister back in 2011, but he’s also a solid wrestler and has a variety of submissions in his arsenal.
Ige, meanwhile, has become known as one of the more exciting fighters in the UFC’s featherweight division.
A striker with decent grappling, Ige favors a brawl, but he’s got a strong chin and enough cardio to be able to wilt an opponent down the stretch. He’s got big wins over Edson Barboza and Mirsad Bektic, but it’s notable that both fights were very close and could well have gone the other way.
Overall, the styles favor the 'Zombie' here. He’s equally as tough as Ige and has the cardio to match but is probably technically better by a hair in all areas, and that should be enough for him to accumulate the points he’ll need to win a decision.
The Pick: Jung via unanimous decision
#2 UFC Heavyweight division: Aleksei Oleinik vs. Sergey Spivak
These two European heavyweights will be looking to move up the ladder and hopefully crack the top ten with a win, and interestingly enough, they possess similar styles.
Both men are primarily grapplers, and while they are capable of knocking an opponent out, too, nobody would try to claim they’re the most technical strikers in the game.
Oleinik is obviously far older and thus has far more experience, both inside and outside the UFC.
'The Boa Constrictor' debuted in the octagon in 2014 with nearly two decades of experience behind him, and since then, he’s done surprisingly well. Oleinik, the owner of the UFC’s only two Ezekiel choke finishes, has a UFC record of 8-6, but outside of his recent loss to Chris Daukaus, he’s never been beaten by anything but a high-end opponent.
Spivak, meanwhile, debuted in 2019 and looked painfully out of his depth in a 50-second loss to Walt Harris.
However, since then, 'Polar Bear' has shown plenty of improvements. He’s outgrappled and submitted Tai Tuivasa, outpointed Carlos Felipe, and knocked out Jared Vanderaa, with his only loss coming at the hands of Marcin Tybura.
Spivak is a solid athlete, and he’s also a decent size for a heavyweight at 6’3” and 260lbs. In fact, he’ll probably enjoy a slight size advantage over Oleinik in this fight.
However, where he might struggle is with Oleinik’s experience levels.
Spivak isn’t an explosive finisher like Harris or Alistair Overeem, and Oleinik should have the veteran nous to be able to clinch with him, slow him down, and drag him to the ground.
And for as good as 'Polar Bear' is on the ground, he isn’t the grappler that Oleinik is and doesn’t possess the same kind of submission knowledge. Spivak probably should have some hope here, as Daukaus isn’t an elite-level fighter by any means, suggesting that Oleinik may be finally slowing down.
However, the smart money here is on 'The Boa Constrictor' finding a way to pull off the win.
The Pick: Oleinik via second-round submission
#3 UFC Vegas 29: Main Card
In a welterweight bout, veteran Tim Means faces Danny Roberts. This is a curious fight, particularly as Roberts hasn’t fought in the best part of two years since his KO win over Zelim Imadaev in 2019.
'Hot Chocolate' is an excellent striker with a decent grappling base, but expect him to struggle with the reach and clinch work of Means here. 'The Dirty Bird' might be 37 years old, but he still went 2-1 in the UFC in 2020 and looked pretty good.
Therefore, the pick is Means via unanimous decision.
In a bantamweight clash, Marlon Vera takes on Davey Grant in a rematch. Grant is coming off three straight UFC wins, including two KO’s, while Vera last fought in December in a loss to Jose Aldo.
Grant outpointed Vera the last time they fought, but since then, 'Chito' has improved dramatically and now boasts a nasty pressure-striking game to go along with his excellent grappling. Overall, despite Grant perhaps having a psychological advantage, the smart money is on Vera to gain revenge, probably via decision.
At middleweight, Wellington Turman takes on Bruno Silva. This should be a close one to call since both men have similar records and are primarily strikers. Turman has the UFC experience, and that should give him a slight edge, but this could go either way. Turman via decision is the pick.
Finally, Matt Brown takes on Dhiego Lima in a welterweight bout. Brown’s time as a UFC title contender is long gone now, and his durability isn’t what it was, but Lima’s chin has always been a huge question mark. So with that in mind, Brown via TKO is the pick.
#4 UFC Vegas 29: Preliminary Bouts
Picks in bold
UFC strawweight division: Virna Jandiroba vs. Kanako Murat
UFC featherweight division: Julian Erosa vs. Seung Woo Choi
UFC heavyweight division: Josh Parisian vs. Roque Martinez
UFC lightweight division: Joaquim Silva vs. Rick Glenn
UFC flyweight division: Casey O’Neill vs. Lara Procopio
UFC flyweight division: Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Tyson Nam
UFC light-heavyweight division: Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Aleksa Camur
UFC welterweight division: Khaos Williams vs. Matthew Semelsberger
