Prediction for the fight Max Holloway vs Chen Song Jong

The first Korean superstar in the UFC, the “Korean Zombie” named Chen Sung Jung, missed his title shot but is still a coveted contender for the elite featherweight division. At UFC Fight Night 225 in Singapore on August 26 at the Indoor Stadium, he will face former dominating champion Max Holloway. Such a duet will definitely give the local public an unforgettable spectacle, but will Chen be able to compete with one of the most dangerous boxers in the league, or will he again have to demonstrate miracles of stamina?

• Max Holloway vs Chen Song Jong;
• Max Holloway;
• Chen Song Jong;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Max Holloway vs Chen Song Jong

Max Holloway

The eternal top in 66 kg - Max, occupies the first line of the rating table. This Hawaiian has dozens of prizes and awards, UFC records for the number of strikes per fight, round, and in the history of the promotion. And this is not counting the fact that “Blessed” destroyed the opposition for two years, defended the title of champion of the major league three times, was an interim champion, and also fought for the same belt in the lightweight division. In addition, Holloway became the champion of the X-1 Championship, and has already had more than 30 professional fights.

Strengths

Max's boxing is legendary, and it's not just about the technique itself. He complements it with his movements, excellent reaction, combinational work, the highest pace and strength of the jaw. With each round, the ex-champion throws more and more punches, and through the years, is ready to fight for 5 rounds, no matter how much damage he takes. The body and head of his opponents by the end of the meeting look like a fresh chop. As a bonus, Holloway has excellent takedown defense.

Weaknesses

Two kryptonites that “Blessed” still cannot cope with are honing the fight, although he has a brown belt in BJJ, and Volkanovski, but this is already a matter of styles. On the ground floor, in defense, Max is good, but his understanding of the game on the ground is mediocre. Actually, as well as actions under pressure, which was clearly demonstrated by the aforementioned Alex.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Holloway is only 31 years old, and he has already participated in countless wars in the octagon. In the last 6 fights, he was defeated only by Volkanovski (three times), while he surpassed Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez and Arnold Allen in a classic manner. The Hawaiian is still fast, mobile and enduring, his hands skillfully break any defense, and Max demonstrates that, having gained tremendous experience, he does not plan to “ride out” only on him - his physics and general condition are in perfect order.

Chen Song Jong

The favorite of the MMA audience, occupies the 8th line of the rating. This is a bright representative of such martial schools as taekwondo and hapkido, diluted judo and BJJ. Chen is the owner of 8 bonuses earned in the UFC, the winner of the Korea FC tournament, the champion of Pancrase Korea, and a two-time contender for the belt of the world's top promotion champion. The Korean Zombie has been in the big game for a long time and has victories against the likes of Dustin Poirier and Leonardo Garcia, whom he defeated with the Twister for the first time in UFC history.

Strengths

Many people know Chen as the most dangerous striker, with a heavy punch, a good base of kicks and the strongest head. But behind all his skill, as well as a creative approach to building connections and combinations, there is also a good jiu-jitsu. True, Son Jong rarely goes for takedowns, although this could help him get a couple of victories where the striking technique no longer worked.

Weaknesses

Age and frequent downtime, as he fights no more than once a year, or even less often, affect the Zombie's reflexes. He used to miss a lot, but now he eats more punches than he throws himself. He has problems with footwork, and his endurance is noticeably inferior to that of a couple of years ago. Simply put, the Korean athlete is going through a “fighting old age” and is soon in danger of becoming a gatekeeper on the path of promising prospects.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Chen is 36 years old, and in the last 5 years he has performed exactly 5 times - losing twice to Ortega and Volkanovski, but defeating Renato "Moicano", Frankie Edgar and Dan Ige. The fighter has been idle since April last year, which does not promise him great success in the fight with the tempo. Yes, and due to age, it will be just great if the “Korean Zombie” at least retains its former condition, not to mention some kind of progress. Nevertheless, the spirit of the warrior in him cannot be broken, and there is no doubt that John will go to the end and be ready to leave his life in the octagon.

Comparative analysis

Chen is almost 10 cm lower than the opponent, but at the same time he wins 7.5 cm in arm span. Will it play a role? At the start of the fight - definitely, since Max starts slowly, and will rely on movement with the use of a counter-jab and a right straight line, so here the "Zombie" has certain chances to show himself. But with each round, given that he throws 2 times less accented punches, his achievements will look more and more faded. And there is no need to talk about the parterre here.

If Volkanovski couldn’t keep Max there on a permanent basis, then others shouldn’t think about it at all. The most interesting thing will happen during the encounters, and here the Blessed One's natural reflexes will do their job - you should expect skillful dodges and glances over the shoulders of the counterpart during attacks. In the bottom line, we have the absolute superiority of the ex-champion in the stand, which will become more and more pronounced with each new round, and for Chen there is one way to win - a knockout, moreover, the first in Max's career, if this is at all real.

Max Holloway vs Chen Song Jong Prediction

Downtime, age, workrate, losing to all the tops - this is an incomplete list of the disadvantages of the "Korean Zombie", convincing us that the upcoming fight will not open a new chapter in his career. It is much more likely that by rounds 4-5, Holloway's dominance will become so obvious that we will be able to see TKOs, because Chen Sung Jong's head has already gone through too many difficult moments. However, the lion's share of Max's victories was obtained by decisions, so if the odds for his victory cannot be called attractive, then the alternative options (total rounds) look a little more interesting. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Max Holloway / total over win (3.5-4.5) by rounds