“The Korean Tiger” Jeong Yeong Lee returns after more than a year away from the Octagon against Xtreme Couture veteran Julian Erosa on October 31.
Jeong Yeong Lee is finally returning to the Octagon.
“The Korean Tiger” is scheduled to face Julian “Juicy J” Erosa in a featherweight matchup on October 31 at UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Nolan in Las Vegas. The bout brings together two fighters looking to reverse two-fight losing streaks, but for Lee, it also marks his first competition since May 2025. Sherdog
Waiting for the 30-year-old South Korean will be one of the division’s most experienced and unpredictable veterans.
Erosa, 37, has accumulated 44 professional fights and currently carries a 31-13 record. The Xtreme Couture featherweight has built a reputation for aggressive striking, unconventional exchanges and an opportunistic submission game that has produced 26 finishes across his 31 professional victories. Sherdog
Lee enters at 11-3 and hasn’t won since defeating Blake Bilder in February 2024. Back-to-back defeats against Hyder Amil and Daniel Santos have halted the momentum that once made him one of South Korea’s most intriguing UFC prospects. Sherdog
October 31 gives him an opportunity to restart it.
The Rise of “The Korean Tiger”
Jeong Yeong Lee’s arrival on the international stage came with considerable expectations.
After building his career primarily with ROAD FC in South Korea, Lee entered the inaugural Road to UFC tournament in 2022 and immediately showed why he was considered one of the country’s promising featherweights.
His first two tournament performances lasted a combined 78 seconds.
Lee submitted Xie Bin with an armbar just 36 seconds into their quarterfinal before knocking out Kai Lu with a right hand 42 seconds into the semifinal. He then defeated Yizha by split decision in the tournament final. MixedMartialArts.com
The run earned Lee his place on the UFC roster.
His first official UFC appearance came against Blake Bilder in February 2024, where Lee demonstrated that he could do more than produce quick finishes. He went the full three rounds and earned a unanimous decision, extending his winning streak and giving him a successful start to his UFC contract.
Then came the first major setback.
Two Losses Change the Conversation
Jeong Yeong Lee faced Hyder Amil in July 2024.
The fight lasted only 65 seconds.
Amil immediately forced Lee into a frantic exchange, unloading sustained combinations before the referee intervened. It was Lee’s first defeat since 2017 and the first stoppage loss of his professional career. MixedMartialArts.com
His opportunity to rebound came against Daniel Santos at UFC 315 in May 2025.
This time Lee survived all three rounds, but Santos consistently found ways to disrupt his rhythm and ultimately earned a unanimous decision. The defeat left Lee at 1-2 in his three official UFC bouts following his Road to UFC tournament victory. UFC
Jeong Yeong Lee hasn’t competed since.
By the time he steps into the cage against Erosa, nearly 18 months will have passed since his last fight.
That makes this return particularly interesting.
Lee has already demonstrated the finishing ability that helped get him to the UFC. The question now is how much “The Korean Tiger” has developed during his time away — particularly when opponents refuse to allow him to dictate the pace.
Erosa should provide an immediate answer.
Julian Erosa Brings Experience—and Chaos
There is very little Erosa hasn’t experienced during his professional career.
“Juicy J” has been fighting professionally since 2010 and has spent much of the last decade competing at the UFC level. At 6-foot-1, the southpaw will also hold a three-inch height advantage over the 5-foot-10 Lee. Sherdog
But measurements only tell a small part of the story.
Erosa is willing to make fights uncomfortable.
He pressures, throws combinations from unusual positions and isn’t afraid to accept exchanges in order to create his own offense. That approach has made him dangerous, but it has also made him vulnerable.
Of Erosa’s 31 professional victories, 12 have come by knockout or TKO and another 14 by submission. Only five have reached a decision. Sherdog
His submission game deserves particular attention.
Erosa submitted Ricardo Ramos and Christian Rodriguez with first-round guillotines in consecutive appearances in 2024 before stopping longtime UFC veteran Darren Elkins with strikes at UFC 314 in April 2025. Sherdog
The momentum didn’t last.
Erosa lost a unanimous decision to Melquizael Costa the following month and then suffered a first-round knockout against Lerryan Douglas in March 2026. Douglas stopped Erosa with punches at 3:33 of the opening round. Sherdog
Like Lee, he now arrives on October 31 looking to end a two-fight skid.
Precision Against Pressure
The stylistic contrast could be what makes this fight compelling.
Jeong Yeong Lee is seven years younger and operates from a more compact orthodox stance. His best moments have traditionally come when he can establish his range, read his opponent and explode into openings rather than being forced into prolonged chaotic exchanges.
Erosa is almost built to challenge that comfort.
At 6-foot-1, the veteran can make use of his length, but he rarely settles for a cautious long-range fight. He has built his career around activity and pressure, frequently turning technical matchups into scrambles and exchanges.
For Lee, that presents both danger and opportunity.
Erosa’s willingness to exchange has produced finishes in his favor, but it has also resulted in eight knockout or TKO defeats. His most recent fight against Douglas again demonstrated the risk involved when an opponent can find clean punches inside those exchanges. Sherdog
Jeong Yeong Lee has the power to make those openings matter.
Four of his 11 victories have come by knockout or TKO, while another three have come by submission. Before reaching the UFC roster, Lee produced a stretch that included a 10-second knockout of Hae Jin Park, the 42-second finish of Kai Lu and the 36-second armbar against Xie Bin. Sherdog
But chasing an early knockout against Erosa carries its own risks.
The veteran has made a career out of surviving uncomfortable positions and capitalizing when opponents become careless.
The Ground Doesn’t Eliminate the Danger
Jeong Yeong Lee may also have opportunities to incorporate his wrestling.
But taking Erosa down isn’t necessarily an escape from his offense.
Fourteen submission victories make up nearly half of Erosa’s career wins, and his back-to-back guillotine finishes against Ramos and Rodriguez demonstrated just how quickly he can capitalize when an opponent leaves the neck exposed. Sherdog
That creates an interesting decision for Lee.
Mixing his striking with controlled takedowns could prevent Erosa from establishing the relentless pace he prefers on the feet. But desperation shots or careless entries could put Lee directly into one of Erosa’s strongest positions.
The key may be control.
Lee doesn’t necessarily need to turn this into a firefight or a grappling match. He needs to dictate when those exchanges happen.
That’s something his previous two opponents made difficult.
Amil never gave him enough time to settle into the fight. Santos extended the contest and consistently forced Lee to work through difficult exchanges over three rounds.
Erosa will attempt to create another version of that problem.
Experience Is the Biggest Gap
Perhaps the most striking difference between the two fighters isn’t height, reach or style.
It’s experience.
Lee has fought professionally 14 times.
Erosa has fought 44 times. Sherdog
The veteran has experienced virtually every type of fight imaginable during his career: early knockouts, submissions, three-round wars, winning streaks and difficult stretches.
Lee is still learning how his game translates against consistently experienced UFC opposition.
That’s what makes Erosa such a meaningful opponent.
This isn’t another prospect being placed across from “The Korean Tiger.”
It’s a veteran who knows how to punish mistakes.
A Chance to Reset
Two losses don’t erase what made Jeong Yeong Lee an intriguing prospect.
But they have changed the questions surrounding him.
When Lee emerged from Road to UFC, the conversation centered around his finishing ability and potential. Now the focus shifts toward development.
How has his defense changed since the Amil fight?
How does he respond when an opponent forces a high pace?
Can he prevent Erosa from turning a technical fight into the type of chaotic battle the veteran has experienced dozens of times?
And after nearly 18 months outside the Octagon, what version of “The Korean Tiger” returns?
Those questions will begin to get answered on October 31.
Julian Erosa represents a significant veteran test, but he also gives Lee opportunities. Erosa’s aggressive approach creates openings. His willingness to exchange puts him in danger. And his recent knockout loss shows that an accurate, powerful opponent can capitalize.
Jeong Yeong Lee has demonstrated that kind of finishing ability before.
Now he needs to demonstrate something different.
After consecutive losses and the longest layoff of his professional career, Jeong Yeong Lee doesn’t need to recreate the fighter who tore through Road to UFC.
He needs to show what that fighter has become.
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