Ricardo Lamas-’Korean Zombie,’ and Aljamain Sterling-Renan Barao fights added to Anaheim’s UFC 214
A meeting of top-five featherweights and a crossroads bantamweight fight have been added to the UFC 214 card in Anaheim that is headlined by Daniel Cormier’s anticipated light-heavyweight title rematch against Jon Jones.
The UFC announced Wednesday that the July 29 card at Honda Center will also feature No. 3 featherweight Ricardo Lamas against No. 5 Chan Sung Jung, also known as the “Korean Zombie.”
And former bantamweight champion Renan Barao, who reigned from 2012 to 2014, will return to the division to meet New York’s No. 8-rated Aljamain Sterling.
Chicago’s Lamas (17-5) lost a 2014 title shot at champion Jose Aldo of Brazil, and has gone 4-2 since, including a loss to Aldo’s June 3 UFC 212 title opponent Max Holloway of Hawaii. In November, Lamas defeated respected veteran Charles Oliviera by submission.
In the “Korean Zombie,” Lamas meets a fighter who missed more than three years of action because of injuries and mandatory military service. Chan Sung Jung (14-4) returned to the octagon to defeat Dennis Bermudez by first-round knockout in February.
The Barao-Sterling outcome has high stakes considering Sterling (13-2), previously considered a title-worthy prospect, suffered consecutive losses to Bryan Caraway and Raphael Assuncao before defeating Augusto Mendes on April 15.
Barao (35-4) lost his belt to T.J. Dillashaw in 2014, moved up to featherweight after weight issues, and was on a 1-3 skid before also gaining a needed victory in September over Philipe Nover.
It was previously announced that Doo Ho Choi “The Korean Super Boy” (14-2) will fight Andre Fili (16-4) in a featherweight bout on the UFC 214 card, and that light-heavyweight Jimi Manuwa will be on the card, mostly as an insurance policy for Jones, whose suspension for a banned performance-enhancing substance will be lifted in early July after his July 2016 meeting with Cormier was scrapped by the result.
The UFC also announced Wednesday that UFC 214 will include: Kailin Curran (4-4) vs. Alexandra Albu (6-0), women’s strawweights; Josh Burkman (29-15) vs. Drew Dober (17-8), lightweights; Dmitrii Smoliakov (8-2) vs. Adam Wieczorek (8-1), heavyweights; and Eric Shelton (10-3) vs. Jarred Brooks (12-0), flyweights.
Twitter: @latimespugmire
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