Renato Moicano and The Korean Zombie are set to headline UFC Fight Night 154 in Greenville, South Carolina, this weekend. It’s a rare case of the two fighters matched against each other being better known by their moniker than their actual name.
Renato Carneiro is more commonly referred to as “Moicano” and Chan Sung Jung is best known for being “The Korean Zombie,” so don’t get confused when you find a completely different set of names at your favorite bookmaker ahead of this event.
Outside of this main event bout and the return of John Lineker in the co-main event, there’s not a whole lot else to get excited about. In fact, it’s a considerably weak card and rivals the upcoming UFC Fight Night 155 when it comes to the low quality of fights.
Fortunately for us, however, the spectacle has no outcome on the quality of bets that can be made. Fight fans certainly know that money can be made on the worst of fights just as easily as the most popular ones.
As always, we’ll bring you the best odds for the main event and where you can find them. We’ll also break down the fight and share our prediction and recommended bet ahead of the weekend.
Renato Moicano vs. The Korean Zombie
Moicano vs. The Korean Zombie is set to be a brilliant featherweight fight between two guys who know how to trade heavy shots on the feet and have superb ground games in their back pocket, as well.
Renato Moicano
Renato Moicano came to prominence in April 2017 when he defeated Jeremy Stephens via split decision. Despite entering the fight as a slight underdog, Moicano impressed and won on two scorecards. That win was what ultimately skyrocketed Moicano into bigger and better fights, including a showdown with former title challenger Brian Ortega.
Moicano was getting the better of Ortega for the duration of their bout before diving in for a costly takedown attempt in round three. That attempt led to a swift guillotine choke and ended in Moicano’s first career defeat in his 12-fight career.
He since bounced back with notable wins over Calvin Kattar and Cub Swanson to earn a top-contender bout with Jose Aldo in February. Moicano looked good against the greatest featherweight of all-time before being run over in the second round by Aldo’s heavy punches.
The Korean Zombie
Chan Sung Jung returns to the cage this weekend for the first time since he was on the wrong side of one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history. Up on the scorecards heading into the final seconds of the fight, “The Korean Zombie” advanced toward Yair Rodriguez and chose to recklessly engage with him. For his carelessness (or desire to entertain the fans), he copped a spinning back elbow to the face and went crashing down to the mat.
It was an unfortunate result for the South Korean, who came back to fighting in 2017 when he scored an impressive first-round knockout against Dennis Bermudez.
Interestingly (and of potential importance), The Korean Zombie asked for this fight with Renato Moicano and got it. He could have picked anyone around him in the division but chose to step into the cage with one of the most dangerous contenders. That leaves us questioning whether the South Korean has a few tricks up his sleeve for this one.
Renato Moicano vs. The Korean Zombie Odds
Renato Moicano vs. The Korean Zombie Breakdown
This main event is a fun one to break down considering the capability of each fighter.
Moicano is an intelligent striker who likes to pick his shots from long-range. Mostly, he opts to kick the legs out from underneath his opponent as they come forward and this tactic works well against those who advance toward him. He has decent boxing ability, but it isn’t his strongest point by any means.
And then there’s Korean Zombie, who is at his best when he’s walking forward and putting pressure on his adversary. However, he doesn’t do enough of it (partly because he doesn’t do it well) and often finds himself just trading shots with his opponent. Jung took plenty of hard shots from Rodriguez through five rounds but was winning that fight on the scorecards mostly because he was the aggressor.
To defeat Moicano, Korean Zombie will need to utilize forward pressure in a way that he hasn’t done before. And even then, it’s a tough ask against a fighter who excels at keeping the fight at kicking range. Sure, Aldo entered the pocket and clipped Moicano at close range, but Aldo is an all-time great and Moicano was lured into a false sense of security there.
Fortunately for both fighters, if they run into trouble in this main event they can mix it up and look to take it to the ground. Both are skilled grapplers and are capable of a submission win, but it’s hard to imagine either wanting to take that risk until their chances of winning are looking unlikely.
At these odds, Moicano makes for a great selection and a high-value bet.
Prediction: Renato Moicano to win by unanimous decision
Bet: Renato Moicano to win: -197 at Pinnacle
Best UFC Fight Night 154 Bets
- Renato Moicano to win: -197 at Pinnacle
- Andrea Lee to win: -194 at BookMaker
- Alessio Di Chirico to win: +201 at SportBet
Read More:
- Beginner’s Guide to UFC Betting
- What’s different between weight classes in the UFC?
- 5 MMA Betting Experts Talk UFC Gambling Strategies, Advice, and Best Tips
Jake is a mixed martial arts reporter from Australia. At WagerBop, he merges his appreciation of combat sports and a strong passion for analytics to uncover opportunities for readers.
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