Alexander Volkanovski pummels Chan Sung Jung, retains UFC featherweight title

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Alexander Volkanovski vowed to finish Saturday night, something he had yet to do to an opponent since becoming UFC featherweight champion. One of the world's top fighters lived up to his promise.

Volkanovski stopped «The Korean Zombie» Chan Sung Jung via TKO (punches) at 45 seconds of the fourth round in the main event of UFC 273 here at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. With the victory, Volkanovski picked up his third featherweight title defense.

It was one-way traffic the whole way, with Volkanovski doing damage to Jung in every round. Volkanovski dropped Jung at the end of the third round and nearly finished him with ground-and-pound.

At the start of the fourth, referee Herb Dean was clearly keeping an eye on Jung, whose face was badly marked up and whose nose looked broken. When Volkanovski landed a big combo early in the fourth, Dean stepped in to stop it even though Jung was still standing.

«He actually took a lot more than I wanted him to,» Volkanovski said in his postfight interview. «I thought they could have stopped it earlier. That's the sport we're in.»

ESPN has Volkanovski ranked No. 4 on its MMA pound-for-pound list. At featherweight, Volkanovski is ranked No. 1 and Jung is No. 9. Max Holloway, whom Volkanovski has defeated twice in title fights, was the originally scheduled challenger before withdrawing due to injury.

«Everybody in my division, I've been saying it for a while now,» Volkanovski said. «Get your s--- together and earn that No. 1 spot. If you don't, you're gonna miss out.»

Volkanovski dropped Jung with a right hand at the end of the first round and then took him off his feet again with a leg kick right after. Then came more big combos for Volkanovski in the second.

Jung,