By Sergio Non, USA TODAY
FAIRFAX, Va. -- Dustin Poirier escaped one precarious situation after another for three rounds in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but he couldn't pull off another escape after Chan Sung "The Korean Zombie" Jung rattled his cage in the fourth.
By Rafael Suanes, US Presswire
Before the fight, Jung said he thought an impressive finish should net him a title shot. He called for a fight with UFC's featherweight champion after the bout.
"I want Jose Aldo," Jung said.
MAIN EVENT: Jung lays out case for title shot
The end came after Jung sent Poirier reeling with a right uppercut and a left hand and drilled him with a flying knee strike against the cage. Poirier shot for a takedown to recover, but Jung applied a D'arce choke and held on until referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight after Poirier went limp.
Poirier and Jung went into the fight touting as a match-up of exciting, aggressive fighters. They lived up to their promise with a fight that showcased Jung's ability to continually pressure opponents and Poirier's survival skills.
The eventual winner knocked down Poirier in the first round and cut open with an elbow strike on the ground. But Poirier kept Jung off-balance by threatening with submission attempts.
Round two saw Jung rock Poirier with a flying knee, followed by a flurry of strikes. Poirier shot for a takedown attempt to stop the onslaught, but Jung kept rolling backward to mount him. Jung launched a sudden and surprising attempt at an armbar from the mounted position, followed by a stab at a triangle choke.
Yet Poirier survived the sequence, as well as another dangerous moment in the third round when Jung slammed him to the ground and trapped in a crucifix position. Round three ended with the two fighters trading punches against the cage.
Also Tuesday, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone got back on the winning track by outclassing Jeremy Stephens in the stand-up game while cruising to a decision victory. Stephens tried to get past the reach of his much taller and lankier opponent, but Cerrone kept him at bay with a mixture of kicks, jabs and constant movement.
"The goal of this fight was to fight my fight and not get dragged in to anyone else's battle," Cerrone said. "I'm a kicker. My hands are second and my kicks are first. He said he was going to stop me and I made it a point to kick him."
Cerrone set the tone early with striking combinations punctuated by kicks to Stephens' left leg. By the middle of the second round, it was Cerrone moving forward to attack with punch combinations, while Stephens started covering up when the action neared the fence.
Other results from UFC on Fuel 3's main card at the Patriot Center arena in Fairfax:
• Amir Sadollah stayed active enough to earn the nod from two judges and walk out of the cage with a victory against welterweight Jorge Lopez.
Lopez for long stretches kept Sadollah grounded or backed against the cage while defending against takedown attempts. But Lopez did little damage from top position, while Sadollah landed more significant strikes in the last two rounds, according to FightMetric.
• Yves Jabouin dropped bantamweight Jeff Hougland repeatedly with kicks to the torso en route to a unanimous decision win. While Hougland hung on gamely to survive all three rounds, he often found himself in precarious positions on the ground, especially in the final minute of the second round, when a spinning kick to the liver toppled him. One judges scored the fight 30-25; two had 30-27 scores.
• Igor Pokrajac won his third consecutive bout by taking a close, scrappy light-heavyweight affair with Fabio Maldonado. While Maldonaldo attacked the torso frequently with strikes, Pokrajac landed solid shots to the head to sway all three judges, two of whom scored it 29-28 for the victor. One judge gave every round to Pokrajac.
The Fairfax crowd booed the decision. Preliminary statistics from FightMetric had Maldonaldo landing far more significant strikes each round, for a total of 98, compared to 36 for Pokrajac.
• The Patriot Center continues to be a happy place for middleweight Tom Lawlor.
Lawlor entered the arena to the Beatles' Birthday and made sure he could celebrate his birth anniversary by knocking out Jason MacDonald in 50 seconds. MacDonald hit the ground facedown after Lawlor hit him with an overland left, followed by a right hand. Lawlor landed one more punch on MacDonald before the referee was able to stop the bout.
Immediately after the fight ended, Lawlor ran around the cage before falling to his back in jubilation.
"I'm elated," said Lawlor, who also scored a victory in January 2010 during UFC's only other visit to the Patriot Center.
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