Frankie Edgar To Replace Brian Ortega Against Korean Zombie
Exit Brian Ortega, enter Frankie Edgar. It always that “The Answer” will be stepping up on short notice against Chan Sung Jung.
The Korean Zombie was expected to face off against Brian Ortega on December 21st. However it was recently announced that Ortega suffered a partial ACL tear, resulting in a withdrawal from the bout. Subsequently, there was questions as to who would step up to fight Jung on short notice.
Insert Frankie Edgar. Despite the fact that he was scheduled to make his bantamweight debut against Cory Sandhagen, he is being considered to replace Ortega. According to Ariel Helwani, Frankie is the frontrunner to take the fight on just over 2 weeks notice.
Frankie Edgar is the frontrunner to replace Brian Ortega versus Chan Sung Jung on Dec. 21, sources say. Looking good. Yes, he’s scheduled to fight Cory Sandhagen next month, but UFC is hoping to keep the fight in tact, too. They would have to assess after the South Korea fight.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 5, 2019
“Frankie Edgar is the frontrunner to replace Brian Ortega versus Chan Sung Jung on Dec. 21, sources say. Looking good. Yes, he’s scheduled to fight Cory Sandhagen next month, but UFC is hoping to keep the fight in tact, too. They would have to assess after the South Korea fight.”
If he takes the fight, Edgar is going to have no trouble making weight. He was already small for the weight class, and had been working his way to 135lb. Additionally, Helwani is told that the UFC is hoping to still have his fight with Sandhagen a month later. However that is clearly dependent on how the fight goes in South Korea.
If Frankie Edgar is tapped to fight Chan Sung Jung on 16 days notice, he will be fighting in the main event of UFC Fight Night 165. The card goes down on December 21st, on ESPN+.