UFC 273: Alexander the Great to Defend Title Against the Korean Zombie in Main Event

UFC 273: Alexander the Great to Defend Title Against the Korean Zombie in Main Event

Keba Mothoagae
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:59 PM
  • Featherweight champion Alexander 'The Great' Volkanovski and challenger 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung will headline UFC 273
  • The blockbuster will take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida tomorrow morning
  • There will be other intriguing fights on the undercards in all the weight divisions in what promises to be an earthquake of fighting

Volkanovski (23-1, 11 KO) is on a 20-fight winning streak, setting himself apart from the rest in the featherweight division. He won the title after defeating Max Holloway following a unanimous decision back in December 2009, defending it twice successfully against Holloway and Brian Ortega; both by unanimous decision.

Chan (17-6, 6 KO) beat Dan Inge in June last year via unanimous decision, which was his third victory out of his last four fights.

ufc 273, ultimate fighting championship, alexander the great, korean zombie, alexander volkanovski, chan sung jung, dana white
UFC president Dana White looks on as Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung face off at UFC 273's weigh-in.
Source: Getty Images

As reported by SuperSport, the 34-year-old, affectionately known as ‘The Korean Zombie’ for his ability to keep walking forward even when absorbing blows, has fought for the featherweight championship before, losing to fellow legend Jose Aldo (via TKO) way back in 2013.

The co-main event of UFC 273 is another title bout, this one for the bantamweight championship, as Aljamain Sterling (20-3, 2 KO) faces Petr Yan (16-2, 7 KO) for the second time. The pair fought for the title at UFC 259 in March last year and Sterling claimed the belt in controversial circumstances, with Yan disqualified for an illegal knee strike.

The pair have traded insults on social media ever since – with the banter going to a whole new level when Yan defeated Cory Sandhagen to claim the interim title in October (when Sterling was unavailable due to injury) – and UFC fans can expect sparks to fly in what should be an explosive grudge match.

The rest of the main card features Gilbert Burns v Khamzat Chimaev in the welterweight division; a women’s strawweight clash between Mackenzie Dern and Tecia Torres; as well as heavyweights Aleksei Oleinik and Jared Vanderaa going to war.

South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis missed out on the chance to face top-10 ranked middleweight Kelvin Gastelum after the latter pulled out of the bout due to injury.

UFC 273 - Main card

Main event: Featherweight championship: Alexander Volkanovski v Chan Sung Jung

Co-main: Bantamweight championship: Aljamain Sterling v Petr Yan

Welterweight: Gilbert Burns v Khamzat Chimaev

Women’s strawweight: Mackenzie Dern v Tecia Torres

Heavyweight: Aleksei Oleinik v Jared Vanderaa

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Keba Mothoagae
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