FAIRFAX, Va. — The Korean Zombie, aka Chan Sung Jung, upset featherweight Dustin (The Diamond) Poirier via submission in an all-action main event of a televised UFC card Tuesday night.
Jung (13-3) drove Poirier back to the fence with an uppercut and a left early in the fourth round, then hurt him with a big flying knee.
Poirier tried to fight back with a takedown but the South Korean grabbed his neck and rolled into a D’Arce choke.
Referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in at one minute seven seconds of the fourth round.
The 23-year-old Poirier (12-2) had won five straight including all four previous outings in the UFC. But Jung had too much for him.
“I want Jose Aldo,” Jung said in English after the fight, referring to the featherweight champion.
He will have to wait his turn. Aldo is set to fight Erik Koch at UFC 149 in Calgary on July 21.
The 25-year-old Korean was coming off a 6.2-second knockout of Canadian Mark (The Machine) Hominick at UFC 140 in Toronto last December.
Jung tripped Poirier at the fence in the first round and cut him him with an elbow. Poirier reversed position but the Korean got back up and the two finished the round swinging.
The Korean caught a kick early in the second and threw Poirier down, scoring with some blows from above. Poirier was hurt by a flying knee at the fence and then, after trying to launch a takedown, found himself mounted by the Korean.
Jung looked for an armbar and then triangle, hammering away with elbows at Poirier’s head. But the fighter from Louisiana somehow escaped and rolled into top position. The bell saved Poirier from a triangle choke.
Poirier began to find his range in the third, only to be taken down midway through the round. Poirier got back up but the Korean scored points. Both men exchanged blows at the fence with Jung showing damage around the face.
In the co-main event at the Patriot Center, welterweight Amir Sadollah won a split (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) decision over Jorge Lopez in a fight contested mainly in the clinch at the fence.
Sadollah, winner of Season 7 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” improved to 7-3 while Lopez fell to 11-3.
Canadians went 2-1 on the night.
(Filthy) Tom Lawlor celebrated his 29th birthday by stopping Canadian middleweight Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald in the first round.
Lawlor (8-4 with one no contest) stunned MacDonald with a left to the face and then clipped him on the side of the head with a right that sent the Canadian face down to the canvas.
Lawlor got one more punch in before the referee stepped in after just 50 seconds.
“I feel good, I’m elated,” said Lawlor.
MacDonald (26-16) was bidding for a win to secure one final fight —at UFC 149 in Calgary. But he failed in an early takedown attempt and lost the standup war dropping his UFC record to 6-8.
The 36-year-old from Red Deer, was giving up seven years to Lawlor but had a six-inch reach advantage. At six foot three, he also had a three-inch edge in height.