A marquee matchup in the featherweight division headlines UFC on ESPN 25 this Saturday, June 19. Former title challenger, “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung meets rising contender Dan Ige in the main event on ESPN2 and ESPN+. A heavyweight clash between 15th ranked Alexey Oleynik and Sergey Spivak serves as the co-main event inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In a featured fight between two rising prospects, Wellington Turman (16-4) and Bruno Silva (19-6) clash in a middleweight matchup. Turman and Silva are both looking to put a show on for the fans and their bosses as Turman is coming off a loss and Silva is making his UFC debut.
At 1-2 in the UFC, Turman needs a win tonight to avoid being cut from the roster. Turman fell to Andrew Sanchez in a TKO first-round finish. A win though over Silva will bring his record to .500% and 17-4 overall in her career. Turman has 4 TKO/KO’s in his career and 7 submissions.
A victory for Silva would create a best-case scenario for his UFC debut. A win improved the Brazilian to 20-6 overall in his career. Silva is on a 4-fight win streak. He has a career total of 16 TKO/KO’s.
Fans can a high-impact battle between these two middleweights. At any moment this fight can be ended at any point of the geography in the fight.
The Rounds:
Round 1- Turman came right out to the center as the two fighters throw jabs at each other. Turman went right for a takedown and then returned Silva to the canvas with a high-lift from behind. Silva shook Turman off his back and then took Turman’s back while standing. Turman reverses Silva and using the clinch against the cage as Silva as a paw on the mat. Turman trying to use a foot hook to bring Silva down and then Turman suplexes Silva a couple of times to eventually take his back while Silva is standing. Turman on Silva’s back like a backpack, and looking for a Rear-naked Choke, while trying to soften him up with strikes. Silva lets him slide off his back as his head was forward and takes full guard. Silva throws big ground-and-pound strikes and the two start scrambling. Silva lands a couple more strikes to Turman’s head and Silva shuts the lights out on Turman with a big strike while Turman is on his back.
Silva’s debut a successful one as his left-hand does the job to finish his opponent in the first round.
Kyle Carroll
Kyle Carroll is a Long Island, N.Y. native and avid MMA and amateur wrestling fan. He has been a part of the wrestling community for nearly 20 years. Carroll has six years of experience coaching high school wrestling. His father coached high school wrestling over 35 years, passing on his strong knowledge. Carroll has been reporting MMA news since January 2011. The former wrestler’s coverage includes the 2012 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials, 2013 & 2016 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championship, and numerous MMA events (Bellator MMA, King of the Cage, North American Fighting Championship, and Glory).
