Things didn’t go in Dennis Bermudez’s favor last night (Feb. 4).
“The Menace” took on the returning Chan Sung Jung in the main event of an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night card. Bermudez had some early success, even wobbling the “Korean Zombie.”
Bermudez’s downfall was his inability to secure a takedown. Jung was able to brush off his opponent’s grappling and he landed a devastating uppercut that finished Bermudez in the first round.
Speaking to the media after the fight (via MMAFighting), “The Menace” said he felt he could’ve fought back if referee Herb Dean didn’t stop the bout:
“I thought it was a little bit of an early stoppage. I know I was on Herb’s leg, but I knew he was there trying to hit me so I was shooting on him. I know Herb was doing his job just to keep us both safe in there. But yeah, I had a big platform to make a rise to the top and it didn’t go our way tonight.”
One could say the last night’s match-up was a no-win situation for Bermudez. A win over the “Korean Zombie” would’ve been expected and many most likely would’ve pinned the blame on Jung’s inactivity. A loss, which is what transpired, puts Bermudez in a situation where he was No. 9 in the rankings but fell short to someone unranked and who had his first fight since 2013.
“The Menace” said he was expecting a prime opponent.
“I heard some people saying some things about him and the ring rust and stuff like that. But we were ready and prepared for a tough ‘Korean Zombie.’ I put myself in his shoes, you know. If I was away from the sport for three years, man I’d so so thirsty, so hungry to get in there (and) get after it.”
