“Zombie Jr.” sees his momentum halted in Los Angeles as Michael Aswell Jr. edges a competitive three-round featherweight fight.
Joo Sang Yoo’s return at UFC 331 ended in a narrow defeat.
The Korean featherweight dropped a split decision to Michael Aswell Jr. on the preliminary card in Los Angeles, with the judges scoring the contest 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Aswell.
The result moved Aswell to 11-5 while Yoo fell to 9-2, giving “Zombie Jr.” the second loss of his professional career.
Aswell Pressures Yoo From the Start
Joo Sang Yoo opened the fight with a spinning kick to the body, but Aswell quickly established one of the central themes of the matchup: pressure.
Aswell consistently moved forward while Yoo looked to maintain distance and work behind his jab. Yoo found success from the outside, but Aswell was able to close the distance and connect with overhand rights as the Korean fighter circled away.
It was a competitive opening five minutes, with Yoo’s cleaner outside striking matched against Aswell’s pressure and heavier attacks.
A Tighter Second Round
The pace became more measured in Round 2.
Aswell connected with a left hook early before pushing Yoo toward the fence during a takedown sequence. Yoo successfully defended the attempt, keeping the fight standing.
From there, both featherweights continued exchanging jabs and overhand punches without either fighter producing the kind of decisive moment that could clearly separate the round.
With neither man able to take control for an extended period, the fight entered the third with the scorecards still very much in play.
Yoo Rallies Late, but Aswell Gets the Decision
Aswell began attacking Yoo’s lead leg more aggressively in the final round, landing calf kicks while continuing to disrupt Yoo’s attempts to establish his preferred range.
Yoo, however, made a late push.
The Korean featherweight secured a takedown and gained top control toward the end of the fight, giving him an important final stretch as the bout approached the scorecards.
It ultimately wasn’t enough to convince two of the three judges.
One judge scored the fight 29-28 for Yoo, while the other two returned identical 29-28 cards for Aswell, giving the American the split-decision victory.
A Setback for “Zombie Jr.”
UFC 331 was supposed to be another opportunity for Yoo to build momentum in the UFC featherweight division.
Nicknamed “Zombie Jr.” because of his connection to Korean MMA legend Chan Sung Jung, Yoo had attracted attention as one of the Korean prospects attempting to establish himself on the UFC roster.
Saturday’s result does not come with the finality of a stoppage loss. Yoo went the full 15 minutes in a competitive fight in which one judge still awarded him two of three rounds.
But Aswell’s pressure, output and ability to disrupt Yoo’s rhythm proved enough to sway the other two scorecards.
For Aswell, the victory snapped a two-fight losing streak and moved his professional record to 11-5.
For Yoo, his record now stands at 9-2 as he returns home from Los Angeles with a close decision loss and another three rounds of UFC experience.
The next question is how “Zombie Jr.” responds.
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