UFC returns to Northern Virginia for "The Korean Zombie vs Dustin Poirier"
The world’s premiere mixed martial arts promotion, The Ultimate Fighting
Championship, returned Tuesday to the Patriot Center for the first time
since 2010 with a fantastic night of fights.
UFC on Fuel 3: “Korean Zombie vs. Dustin Poirier” matched 24 fighters
in 12 bouts airing on Facebook and Fuel TV and nearly five thousand
excited fans watched live at the Patriot Center in Fairfax.
The UFC brought fighters from around the world to compete, but fans cheered loudest for local heroes. Ultimate Fighter winner, Amir Sadollah, from Richmond, pulled off a razor thin win over Jorge Lopez. Lopez wrestled Sadollah against the cage for much of the fight, but Sadollah stifled Lopez’s offense and took over the match in the third round to secure a split decision victory.
Falls Church’s Kamal Shalarus did not fare as well. Stunned early in the first round by a high kick, a dazed Shalarus failed to defend a rear-naked choke from Brazilian fighter Rafeal dos Anjos, tapping just 40 seconds into the opening round.
Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone, formerly sponsored by Manassas’s own Hatfield Gunsmithing, showed his superior technique by dominating heavy-handed Jeremy Stephens for three rounds to get a unanimous decision.
In the main event South Korean fighter Chan Sung Jung, more often referred to as “The Korean Zombie” entered the arena to the cheers of local Korean fans sporting South Korean flags. For three rounds he and Dustin Poirier exchanged blows and submission attempts with Jung maintaining a slight edge. In the fourth round Jung landed several strikes dazing Poirier who shot for a takedown, but ended up trapped in a submission. Jung cinched up a choke, but Poirier refused to tap and out went unconscious. Referee Dan Miragliotta quickly stopped the fight at 1:07 of the fourth round, giving Chan Sung Jung the submission victory. According to UFC president Dana White, Jung also earned a featherweight title shot and he received the submission of the night bonus of 40 thousand dollars. Both Jung and his opponent, Dustin Poirier, earned another 40 thousand for the fight of the night bonus. Tom Lawlor won the 40 thousand dollar knock out of the night bonus for his speedy finish of Jason Macdonald just 50 second into the first round.
Mixed Martial Arts action returns to Northern Virginia on May 26th in Chantilly when the Danger Zone holds their next event at the NOVA Dome, formerly the Northern Virginia Sportsplex in Chantilly. Ultimate Fighter Alumni Zach Davis will be in attendance. The card will include local talent including Manassas Park wrestling coach Ben Martell and former Osborne High School wrestler Corey Tangen. Danger Zone Ticket information is available at www.dangerzonemma.com.
July 28th Operation Octagon returns to Dulles Sportsplex with the return of decorated MMA and Brazillian Jiu Jitsu fighter Mike Pope from Vanguard Gym in Manassas. For more information on that event visit OperationOctagon.com.
The UFC brought fighters from around the world to compete, but fans cheered loudest for local heroes. Ultimate Fighter winner, Amir Sadollah, from Richmond, pulled off a razor thin win over Jorge Lopez. Lopez wrestled Sadollah against the cage for much of the fight, but Sadollah stifled Lopez’s offense and took over the match in the third round to secure a split decision victory.
Falls Church’s Kamal Shalarus did not fare as well. Stunned early in the first round by a high kick, a dazed Shalarus failed to defend a rear-naked choke from Brazilian fighter Rafeal dos Anjos, tapping just 40 seconds into the opening round.
Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone, formerly sponsored by Manassas’s own Hatfield Gunsmithing, showed his superior technique by dominating heavy-handed Jeremy Stephens for three rounds to get a unanimous decision.
In the main event South Korean fighter Chan Sung Jung, more often referred to as “The Korean Zombie” entered the arena to the cheers of local Korean fans sporting South Korean flags. For three rounds he and Dustin Poirier exchanged blows and submission attempts with Jung maintaining a slight edge. In the fourth round Jung landed several strikes dazing Poirier who shot for a takedown, but ended up trapped in a submission. Jung cinched up a choke, but Poirier refused to tap and out went unconscious. Referee Dan Miragliotta quickly stopped the fight at 1:07 of the fourth round, giving Chan Sung Jung the submission victory. According to UFC president Dana White, Jung also earned a featherweight title shot and he received the submission of the night bonus of 40 thousand dollars. Both Jung and his opponent, Dustin Poirier, earned another 40 thousand for the fight of the night bonus. Tom Lawlor won the 40 thousand dollar knock out of the night bonus for his speedy finish of Jason Macdonald just 50 second into the first round.
Mixed Martial Arts action returns to Northern Virginia on May 26th in Chantilly when the Danger Zone holds their next event at the NOVA Dome, formerly the Northern Virginia Sportsplex in Chantilly. Ultimate Fighter Alumni Zach Davis will be in attendance. The card will include local talent including Manassas Park wrestling coach Ben Martell and former Osborne High School wrestler Corey Tangen. Danger Zone Ticket information is available at www.dangerzonemma.com.
July 28th Operation Octagon returns to Dulles Sportsplex with the return of decorated MMA and Brazillian Jiu Jitsu fighter Mike Pope from Vanguard Gym in Manassas. For more information on that event visit OperationOctagon.com.
