Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs Ige

Jung returns for the first time since October, when he was decisioned by Brian Ortega in Abu Dhabi, a loss that snapped a tidy two-fight winning streak. Now, losing to the current Ultimate Fighter coach and impending title challenger is nothing to hang your head about, however, at age 34 and with a history of intense battles, there are understandable questions to be asked about how much longer Jung can remain an elite contender and when, not if, Father Time will start to catch up with him.

Ige arrives from the opposite end of the spectrum, venturing into the Octagon following a 22-second stoppage win over Gavin Tucker in March and fueled by “New Dad” energy after he and his wife welcomed their son, Bam, into the world a couple weeks after that fight. The Xtreme Couture product is entrenched in the Top 15, but this is a chance for Ige to show he’s capable of moving further up the divisional ladder and someone that needs to be considered a championship threat going forward.

Every fight involving Jung is exciting, and Ige has emerged as a solid all-action bet, as well, which means this weekend’s fight card is going to end with a bang, regardless of how long it lasts and who comes out on top.

FREE FIGHTS: Frankie Edgar vs The Korean Zombie | Mirsad Bektic vs Dan Ige

ALEKSEI OLEINIK VS SERGHEI SPIVAC

There is a 17-year age gap between Aleksei Oleinik and Serghei Spivac, who clash this weekend in a battle of heavyweight combatants with a penchant for finishing fights.

Clocking in at 43 years young, Oleinik, nicknamed “The Boa Constrictor” for his suffocating array of chokes, looks to break out of a mini losing streak as he fights for the second time in 2021. Still one of the more active heavyweights on the roster, the veteran was stopped in less than two minutes last time out against Chris Daukaus, and he returns to Las Vegas to make a third attempt at collecting professional victory No. 60 on Saturday.

While Oleinik has lost two straight, the 26-year-old Spivac, whose animal sobriquet is “Polar Bear,” has earned consecutive victories, following up his narrow triumph over Carlos Felipe with a two-round drubbing of Jared Vanderaa in February. The emerging talent fighting out of Chisinau, Moldova has won three of his last four, with his lone setback coming on the cards against Marcin Tybura, who extended his winning streak to five a couple weeks back.

It feels like Oleinik has been in this position countless times during the course of his UFC tenure — positioned as the veteran litmus test for an emerging talent, fielding questions about retirement while having no inclination to hang up the gloves. Although he’s been successful in this spot many times over, it will be interesting to see if the veteran can dial up another strong effort here or if the surging Spivac will claim his biggest victory to date.

Vera, who lost the first encounter in February 2016 by unanimous decision, has grown exponentially since then, emerging as a Top 15 fighter with even more room to grow. He fought three times last year, losing a suspect decision to Song Yadong before handing Sean O’Malley his first career loss and then dropping a decision to Jose Aldo on the final fight card of the year; the trio of fights combining to display his many talents and the areas where he still needs work.

RELATED: Aleksei Oleinik Will Never Give Up | Marlon Vera Fighting For A Better Life | Davey Grant Is Prepared For Any Obstacle

MARLON VERA VS DAVEY GRANT

A week after rematches closed out the show at UFC 263, bantamweights Marlon Vera and Davey Grant cross paths for a second time on Saturday night, each looking to take another step forward in what is arguably the most competitive division in the UFC at the moment.

JULIAN EROSA VS SEUNGWOO CHOI

This is a fun one in the 145-pound weight class as perennial underdog and proven finisher Julian Erosa squares off with South Korea’s Seungwoo Choi on Saturday’s prelims.

A former TUF contestant and Contender Series alum, Erosa is now on his third tour of duty with the UFC and has been making the most of it, entering this weekend’s contest following stoppage victories over Sean Woodson and Nate Landwehr. The Pacific Northwest native has won three straight overall and is allergic to being in an uneventful fight, which makes him a must-see addition to any fight card.

After tough assignments in his first two UFC outings, Choi has rebounded from those setbacks to secure consecutive decision wins over Suman Mokhtarian and Youssef Zalal to push his record to 9-3 heading into this weekend’s meeting with Erosa. He looked particularly sharp last time out against Zalal, displaying crisp, fluid striking and no signs of rust after spending all of 2020 on the sidelines.

JOSH PARISIAN VS ROQUE MARTINEZ

Heavyweights searching for their first UFC win clash here as Josh Parisian and Roque Martinez share the Octagon on Saturday night.

Parisian has looked sharp in his two Contender Series appearances but came up short in his promotional debut last time out, losing a decision to Parker Porter back in November. The former Ultimate Fighter contestant is a proven finisher with a solid resume, but he struggled mightily with his conditioning against Porter, going the distance for just the third time in his 17-fight career.

The 35-year-old Martinez landed on the wrong side of the results twice in a 10-week span last fall, getting submitted by Alexandr Romanov before dropping a decision to Don’Tale Mayes in the middle of November. It’s the first extended skid for Martinez in a decade, so it will be interesting to see if the veteran from Guam can snap out of this funk and avoid a third straight loss this weekend.

JOAQUIM SILVA VS RICKY GLENN

Lightweight veterans ending extended absences meet here as Joaquim Silva and Ricky Glenn clash in preliminary card action.

Competing for the first time since losing to Nasrat Haqparast in the summer of 2019, Silva aims to return to the form that produced stoppage wins over Andrew Holbrook and Jared Gordon earlier in his UFC tenure. The chiseled TUF Brazil alum, who trains with Bruno Silva under Andre Dida at Evolucao Thai, is 11-3 overall.

Glenn has been out of action for even longer than Silva, last competing at the end of November 2018, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Kevin Aguilar on the TUF 28 Finale. Ready to return and moving up to lightweight, the rangy former regional standout will look to dial up the offense that helped carry him to championship gold under the World Series of Fighting banner and UFC victories over Gavin Tucker and Dennis Bermudez.

CASEY O’NEILL VS LARA PROCÓPIO

A meeting between flyweight prospects opens the show this weekend as “King” Casey O’Neill lines up opposite Lara Procópio.

O’Neill is one of the most intriguing prospects on the roster — an unbeaten 23-year-old born in Scotland and fighting out of Queensland, Australia, who has won 11 straight overall between amateurs and the pros, including a second-round stoppage win over Shana Dobson in her promotional debut.

Procópio is no slouch, either, rebounding from the first loss of her career in a difficult debut pairing with fellow Brazilian Karol Rosa by grinding out a unanimous decision win over Molly McCann earlier this year. She showed no signs of staleness in that February triumph, despite 18 months on the sidelines between fights, and she could further establish herself as one to watch in the flyweight ranks by handing O’Neill her first defeat this weekend.

Will Casey continue her unbeaten march towards the rankings or can Procópio collect a second straight victory while bouncing her from the ranks of the unbeaten?