UFC on ESPN+ 23 live results: Frankie Edgar vs. Korean Zombie

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC On ESPN+ 23: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie, emanating from the Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea.

The UFC closes out 2019 by returning to South Korea for the first time since 2015 with an exciting featherweight main event that could be a late addition to Fight Of The Year nominees.

Former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar will battle “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in a five-round featherweight main event. Edgar took this fight on short notice as a replacement for injured Brian Ortega and is eager to get back into the win column after losing in a title fight to Max Holloway in July. Jung is looking for his second straight win after finishing Renato Moicano in 58 seconds in June.

In the co-main event, it is a big light heavyweight battle as former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir looks to end the 12-fight win streak of Aleksandar Rakic. Also on the main card is the long-awaited return of “The Korean Superboy” Doo Ho Choi, who takes on Charles Jourdain. The featured preliminary bout is a heavyweight battle as undefeated prospect Ciryl Gane takes on Tanner Boser.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 2 a.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.

ESPN PRELIMS | 2 AM ET/11 PM PT

> Alateng Heili (13-7-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Ryan Benoit (#13 FLW, 10-5, 3-3 UFC)
Bantamweights

They trade early on. Benoit with a big body kick. Benoit with a nice leg kick. They trade and clinch up against the fence. Benoit with a knee to the body and they break. Benoit with a left hand followed by a body kick. Benoit with another hard body kick and then a Superman punch. Benoit lands a high kick. Heili lands a right hand and then follows with the jab. Benoit lands a right hook and follows it with a body kick. Heili lands a straight right hand that almost knocked Benoit down. Benoit tries a late takedown but it is stuffed. 10-9 Benoit.

Benoit with a hard body kick. Heili lands a right hand to the body and Benoit counters with a left hand. Benoit with a right hand against the fence. Heili lands a right hand. Benoit with another hard body kick. He lands an inside leg kick. Benoit with a head kick and then lands a flurry. Heili lands a combo. They trade punches. They trade again as both are trying to find openings to capitalize on. Heili lands a right hand that busts Benoit’s nose open and Benoit is retreating. Heili lands a combo against the fence. Benoit with a body kick. Heili with right hands to the body. Benoit with a hard body kick. Heili rocks Benoit with a right hand and lands a late flurry. 10-9 Heili, 19-19.

Heili gets an early takedown and is now working in Benoit’s guard. Heili landing body punches from the top and Benoit is able to scramble out and Heili still has the back standing but Benoit escapes. Heili lands a combo and then gets a brief takedown. They stand and Heili has the back and is trying a slam but Benoit is defending but Heili finally gets a takedown. Heili landing from a top position but they get up. Heili has the back standing. They break and Benoit lands a left hook. Heili grabs the single leg and gets a trip takedown into side control. They get up and Benoit lands a body kick. They trade in the pocket at the end. Benoit landed some hammerfists as Heili had a single leg. 10-9 Heili, 29-28 Heili.

Official Result- Alateng Heili def. Ryan Benoit by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

> Miranda Granger (7-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Amanda Lemos (6-1-1, 0-1 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights

Granger took this fight on short notice. Lemos landed a body kick and Granger countered with a right hand. Lemos with a leg kick and then another. Granger counters with her own and they clinch against the fence. Lemos gets a trip takedown into the half-guard. Lemos controlling from the top as Granger is looking to secure an arm from the bottom. Lemos with some punches from the top. Granger now attacking the leg and ankle as Lemos stands. Lemos lands from the top as she takes the back and looks for a choke. She has a choke locked in and Granger goes out cold! She had her arm around Granger’s jaw and just squeezed tight and Granger went limp. Excellent finish by Lemos for the win.

Official Result- Amanda Lemos def. Miranda Granger by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:43 of Round 1

> Raoni Barcelos (14-1, 3-0 UFC) vs. Said Nurmagomedov (13-1, 2-0 UFC)
Bantamweights

Nurmagomedov with an inside leg kick. Barcelos lands a flurry of punches and then a leg kick. Nurmagomedov with a high kick. Nurmagomedov just misses a head kick. Nurmagomedov with a spinning back fist. Nurmagomedov with a leg kick and then another spinning back fist. Barcelos with a leg kick. Nurmagomedov is landing some jabs. Barcelos lands a right hand and they trade low kicks. Barcelos with a body kick. Nurmagomedov with a leg kick. Nurmagomedov lands the jab. They trade power punches. Nurmagomedov tries a spin kick and Barcelos grabs the back and is looking for a takedown. Nurmagomedov is able to escape. Nurmagomedov with a switch high kick. 10-9 Nurmagomedov.

Barcelos with some leg kicks early on and they are affecting Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov tries a takedown but Barcelos defends. Nurmagomedov with a leg kick and Barcelos lands a heavy right hand. Barcelos is landing some heavy leg kicks. Nurmagomedov with a leg kick and Barcelos lands a counter leg kick. They trade and Nurmagomedov goes for a takedown but Barcelos gets the back in a scramble. Nurmagomedov lands some short elbows but Barcelos lands some heavy punches from the back. Barcelos gets the hooks in standing and is looking for the choke. He lands some elbows to try to find his arm under the chin. He doesn’t have much time left in the round to work. 10-9 Barcelos, 19-19.

They trade early on. Nurmagomedov with a spinning head kick. They trade punches. Barcelos just misses a right hand. He lands one and they trade in close. Nurmagomedov with a couple of leg kicks. They clinch against the fence and Barcelos with a knee. They break and both land some good shots. Barcelos with a leg kick. Nurmagomedov with an overhand right. Nurmagomedov tries a spin kick but Barcelos times it perfectly and gets a takedown from it and gets to side control. He moves to half-guard and is looking to set up an arm-triangle. Barcelos lands some from the top. Barcelos gets the choke locked in but Nurmagomedov escapes though he gives up his back. They scramble to their feet. 10-9 Barcelos, 29-28 Barcelos.

Official Result- Raoni Barcelos def. Said Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

> Alexandre Pantoja (#4, 21-4, 5-2 UFC) vs. Matt Schnell (#9, 14-4, 4-2 UFC)
Flyweights

Pantoja swinging away early and knocks Schnell down for a second. He gets up and they are trading and Schnell tries a takedown but Pantoja defends. They slow down now. Pantoja lands a right hand. He lands another. They trade right hands. Pantoja with a leg kick. Schnell lands two punches. Schnell then rocks Pantoja with a combo. Pantoja with a leg kick. They trade in close range and Pantoja gets a takedown. Schnell landing from the bottom. They scramble to their feet. Schnell with a low kick and Pantoja pushes him to the ground and lands a big standing right hand. Pantoja gets to side control. He lands right hands from the top before they stand. Schnell with a combo. Pantoja then drops Schnell with a right hand. Schnell face plants and Pantoja lands some more punches and the fight is stopped. What an awesome one-round fight, this was a damn war. Great win for Pantoja.

Official Result- Alexandre Pantoja def. Matt Schnell by knockout (punches) at 4:17 of Round 1

> Dong Hyun Ma (16-10-3, 3-4 UFC) vs. Omar Morales (8-0, 0-0 UFC)
Lightweights

Morales with a body kick. Morales with a high kick. Ma lands a heavy left cross. Ma tries a head kick but Morales blocks it and grabs the leg and gets a takedown into the guard. Morales with an elbow from the top. Ma trying to set up a kimura from the bottom. Morales landing body punches as Ma keeps strengthening his grip on the kimura. Ma trying to get the hand free but Morales is defending and lands body punches. Ma has to let go. Morales stands and lands some big ground-and-pound. 10-9 Morales.

Morales tries a high kick. Ma misses a left hook. Ma with a low kick. Ma lands a left hand and Morales misses a loaded up counter. Ma lands a left hand. Ma with a low kick. He lands an inside leg kick and Morales counters with a big body kick. Both being very patient in this round. Ma just misses a left hand. Ma lands a counter right hook and follows it with a left hand and then a left to the body. Morales with a spinning head kick. Morales with a right hand. They trade punches. Morales with a body kick. 10-9 Morales, 20-18 Morales.

They trade to start the third. Ma with a switch kick. Ma lands a left hand and Morales counters with a big combo ending with a high kick. Morales throwing hands and just misses a head kick. Ma with a body kick. Morales drops Ma with a spinning back kick that lands right to the jaw. Morales gets to the guard of Ma and was trying to land punches but most were missing. Morales doing enough to stay on top. Morales then lands some big right hands before getting the body lock from the top. Ma threatening with a kimura attempt but Morales is going to make it to the end. Morales gets the back but they get up before the fight ends. 10-9 Morales, 30-27 Morales.

Official Result- Omar Morales def. Dong Hyun Ma by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)

> SeungWoo Choi (7-3, 0-2 UFC) vs. Suman Mokhtarian (8-1, 0-1 UFC)
Featherweights

Mokhtarian lands a big right hand to start. They trade in close range. Mokhtarian with an inside leg kick. Choi scores a combo and then a front kick. They trade punches. Choi with a high kick and Mokhtarian stumbles. They clinch and Choi lands some good elbows and knees as he pushes the fight against the fence. Choi with some knees to the body against the fence. Choi with some more knees to the body and then an elbow. Choi then has the position taken away after grabbing the fence multiple times. The referee takes a point away from Choi. They get back to action and trade. Choi with a leg kick and he unloads with strikes. Choi with a high kick. Mokhtarian with a right hand and they clinch. Choi with a knee in the clinch. Choi with an elbow as they break. 9-9 due to the point deduction on Choi.

Choi coming out aggressive with kicks but Mokhtarian is landing the right hand. Mokhtarian circling around the fence. Choi with a body kick and then unloads a huge flurry against the fence and Mokhtarian is covering up. Mokhtarian circles away and Choi lands a body kick and Mokhtarian falls down to the ground. Choi is on top and lands some hammerfists as Mokhtarian has the leg. Choi landing some elbows and short punches from the top. They are put in a timeout as Mokhtarian lost his mouthpiece but action is restarted. Choi with some elbows from the top. They stand up. Mokhtarian with a leg kick. Choi lands a late flurry and both land hard kicks. 10-8 Choi, 19-17 Choi.

They trade body kicks to start the third. Choi lands a right hand and a body kick. Mokhtarian lands a right hand and a leg kick. Choi with a combo. Choi with another combo. Choi lands a straight right hand and then gets poked in the eye. They get back to action and are trading and Mokhtarian rocks Choi with a right hand. Mokhtarian lands a follow-up punch. He has Choi in trouble and goes for an ill-fated takedown and Choi reverses it and gets into side control. Choi trying to set up an arm-triangle but just moves to the half-guard. Choi landing from the top. Choi with some elbows from the top. Choi with more elbows and he was going for the finish late but Mokhtarian survives. 10-9 Choi, 29-26 Choi.

Official Result- SeungWoo Choi def. Suman Mokhtarian by unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-25)

> Ciryl Gane (5-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Tanner Boser (17-5-1, 1-0 UFC)
Heavyweights

Gane with a right hook. Boser switches stances and just misses some big punches. Gane with a front kick. Gane with a leg kick and Boser catches it for a moment. Gane with a right hand. Boser with a leg kick. Gane with a body kick and then lands a body shot that knocks Boser off-balance. Boser lands a right hand. Gane lands a big right hand. Gane with an uppercut. They trade punches. Gane switching stances. They clinch for a moment and Gane with a knee and they break. Gane with a left hand. 10-9 Gane.

Boser throwing punches to start the second. Boser tries a right hand but Gane ducks under and tries a takedown but Boser defends. Gane with a right hand. Gane lands a left hand. Gane with a leg kick. Gane with a right hand. They trade in close and Boser has a cut under his right eye. Gane with the jab. Gane with a front kick. Boser just misses a huge left hook. Gane wobbles Boser with a hard left hand. They trade in close. Gane with a body kick. Boser with an inside leg kick. Gane with a body kick. Gane with a body kick. Boser lands some but Gane lands a lot of counter punches. Gane with an uppercut and follows it with a power left hook. 10-9 Gane, 20-18 Gane.

Both land some punches to start the third. Gane landing some punches and switching but Boser is eating them and coming forward. Boser just misses a huge right hand. Gane with a body kick and Boser grabs it but Gane blocks any takedown attempt. Gane with a left hand then a leg kick and then a knee to the body. Gane lands a combo. Boser with a leg kick. Gane with the jab. Boser tries to land but Gane gets away from them all. Gane lands a combo with a big uppercut. Gane with a step-in knee to the body. They clinch and Gane with a knee to the body. Gane with a snap jab hurts Boser and then a knee to the head. Gane lands another knee to the head. Gane with a big uppercut. Great showing by Gane. 10-9 Gane, 30-27 Gane.

Official Result- Ciryl Gane def. Tanner Boser by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

ESPN+ MAIN CARD | 5 AM ET/2 AM PT

> Kyung Ho Kang (16-8 1 NC, 5-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Liu Pingyuan (15-5, 2-1 UFC)
Bantamweights

Pingyuan with some leg kicks early on. Kang gets a takedown and is working in the guard. Kang landing from the top but Pingyuan staying very active from the bottom midway through the first. Pingyuan threatened with a guillotine but Kang escapes and remains on top. They scramble up and Kang is trying for another takedown and gets it against the fence. Pingyuan throwing some elbows from the bottom. Kang trying to extend the guard of Pingyuan while holding him down. Kang stands and lands some punches at the end. 10-9 Kang.

Kang lands a head kick early on and gets a takedown and is working in the guard of Pingyuan. Kang staying on top with heavy pressure as he pushes Pingyuan against the fence. Kang trying to pass the guard as he continues to land from the top. Pingyuan is landing short punches from the bottom. Kang remains on top landing as the round ends. 10-9 Kang, 20-18 Kang.

Pingyuan landing early and lands a nice leg kick. Kang with a low kick. Pingyuan with a combo. Pingyuan with a jumping front kick and they clinch. Kang had clinch control but they separated. Kang shoots for a takedown but Pingyuan defends. Kang tries another takedown and Pingyuan sprawls and has the neck looking to attack. Pingyuan with some knees to the body and they stand. Pingyuan tries a takedown but Kang defends and Pingyuan stumbles to his back and Kang gets on top. Kang gets fully on top. Pingyuan landing some elbows from the bottom and a huge cut is open up on Kang. Kang remains on top but Pingyuan is landing the sharp elbows from the bottom. Kang trying to improve position but Pingyuan is keeing him inside his guard. They trade on the mat as the fight ends. 10-9 Pingyuan, 29-28 Kang.

Official Result- Kyung Ho Kang def. Liu Pingyuan by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

> Jun Yong Park (10-4, 0-1 UFC) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (11-3, 0-2 UFC)
Middleweights

They trade early on. Park with some punches. Barriault lands some and Park with a leg kick. Park lands a combo and then another leg kick. Park with a big body kick as Barriault was circling away. Barriault pokes Park in the eye and we have a timeout. Back to action and Park lands an inside left hook. Barriault with a leg kick. Park lands a combo as Barriault was covering up. Park changes levels and takes Barriault down. Barriault scrambles and Park has the sprawl position. They stand and Park has the back. They break. Park lands a left hand. Barriault with a combo. Park with a combo and he is timing his uppercut as it keeps landing. They trade low kicks and Park with a nice right hand. 10-9 Park.

Park was landing early as he got Barriault’s back against the fence. Park landed a high kick and knee and then scored a takedown and has the back of Barriault. Barriault able to escape and they break to the center. Barriault with a leg kick. He lands another. Park circling away but landing counter punches. Barriault applying pressure and landing some leg kicks. They trade and Barriault landing some right hands to the head and body. 10-9 Park, 20-18 Park.

Barriault sprints towards the center. Barriault landing some heavy right hands to start the third. Park looks for a takedown and pushes Barriault against the fence and takes the back. They break. Barriault coming forward but Park landing counter punches. Barriault with a leg kick and they clinch. Park with some knees. Barriault with a leg kick. They continue to trade as Park circles away. Barriault with a leg kick. Barriault is turning up the pressure and the volume. Park grabs the neck against the fence. They break. Barriault with a high kick and then a leg kick. Barriault stalking Park around the Octagon. He lands a right hand. 10-9 Barriault, 29-28 Park.

Official Result- Jun Yong Park def. Marc-Andre Barriault (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

> Da-un Jung (12-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. Mike Rodriguez (10-3 1 NC, 1-1 NC UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Rodriguez throwing kicks early on. Jung lands a right hand. Rodriguez throwing more kicks. Jung knocks Rodriguez down with a right hand and it is over! Jung with some follow-up punches on Rodriguez seals the finish and he gets the big win.

Official Result- Da-un Jung def. Mike Rodriguez by knockout (punches) at 1:04 of Round 1

> Doo Ho Choi (15-3, 3-2 UFC) vs. Charles Jourdain (9-2, 0-1 UFC)
Featherweights

Choi pushing Jourdain against the fence. They clinch and Jourdain with body punches and they break. Choi lands a combo and then an uppercut. Jourdain lands a knee. Choi lands some punches and Jourdain’s nose is busted up. Choi with a leg kick. Jourdain with a flying knee and they clinch. Choi wobbles Jourdain with a counter left hook. Choi with a leg kick and follows with a left hook. Choi with a leg kick and Jourdain falls down and Choi gets in his guard. Choi lands some punches from the top. Choi gets his back as they scramble up. Choi with some left hands and they break. Jourdain with a high kick. Choi lands a combo. Jourdain with a flying knee followed by a left hand that knocks Choi down and he gets on top and lands some. 10-9 Choi.

Choi stalking Jourdain down but Jourdain lands a body kick. Jourdain with a high body kick. Choi with a body kick. Jourdain with another body kick. Choi lands a right hand. Choi lands a combo. Choi with another straight right hand and then lands some more punches and Jourdain circles away. Jourdain now lands some punches. Jourdain with an uppercut. Choi tries a flying knee. Choi with a body kick. Choi with a stiff jab. Jourdain then knocks Choi down with a left hand followed by a right and it is stopped after a couple of ground punches. Big stoppage by Jourdain.

Official Result- Charles Jourdain def. Doo Ho Choi by TKO (punches) at 4:32 of Round 2

> Volkan Oezdemir (#8, 16-4, 4-3 UFC) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (#10, 12-1, 4-0 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Rakic lands a right hand right away and then lands more punches and goes for a flying knee but locks in a guillotine against the fence. Oezdemir pops out. They break the clinch. Oezdemir with a leg kick. Rakic with a body kick. Rakic lands an uppercut. Oezdemir lands a left hand. Rakic with a straight right hand. Oezdemir lands a right hand. They trade punches. Oezdemir with a leg kick. Rakic grabs a single leg and trips Oezdemir down and grabs the back. They get up and Rakic lands some close punches. They trade in close range. They trade leg kicks. Rakic lands a few late punches. 10-9 Rakic.

They trade leg kicks. Rakic lands a right hand. Oezdemir with some leg kicks. Oezdemir lands some short left hooks. Rakic with a big body kick. Oezdemir with a leg kick and Rakic tries a takedown but Oezdemir defends and they clinch against the fence. Rakic with some knees and Oezdemir lands some elbows. Rakic lands an elbow as they break. Oezdemir with a leg kick and Rakic catches it and tries a takedown but Oezdemir defends. They trade leg kicks. Oezdemir lands late. 10-9 Rakic, 20-18 Rakic.

They trade early on and clinch and Rakic has the underhooks. They break and both men swing for the fences as they move to the center. Rakic with a short uppercut. Both men are missing their punches and Oezdemir is having to defend takedown attempts. Oezdemir applying the most pressure. Oezdemir lands a left hook. Rakic with a combo. They clinch against the fence. Rakic lands a combo as they break but Oezdemir lands a right hand. Oezdemir lands a head kick that is mostly blocked. Rakic shoots for a takedown but it is defended. Oezdemir landing elbows as Rakic is trying to lift him up for a takedown. Oezdemir defends as the fight ends. Close fight. 10-9 Oezdemir, 29-28 Rakic.

Official Result- Volkan Oezdemir def. Aleksandar Rakic by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

> Frankie Edgar (#4, 23-7-1, 17-7-1 UFC) vs. Chan Sung Jung (#6, 16-5, 5-2 UFC)
Featherweights

Edgar already mixing his punches and kicks. Jung lands a right hand. Edgar goes for a takedown but Jung defends and lands a leg kick. Jung hurts Edgar with a right hand. Jung lands big punches and drops Edgar. Jung going for the finish and has the back. The crowd going crazy. Jung flattens Edgar out. Jung landing punches from the back. Edgar surviving for now but Jung has pressure on. Jung flattens him back out and is landing. Edgar being warned to get out if he wants the fight to go on. Jung still landing as Edgar gets to his knees. Edgar gets out and they are on their feet. Jung drops Edgar again and it is stopped. The crowd is going crazy. This was an absolutely incredible performance from Jung who may get a title fight off of this.

Official Result- Chan Sung Jung def. Frankie Edgar by TKO (punches) at 3:18 of Round 1