4 best bets for UFC card: Curtains for ‘Korean Zombie’

Saturday’s UFC card is light on star power, but there’s still money to be made.

Handicapper Lou Finocchiaro (@GambLou) is offering four plays for UFC on ESPN 25 at the Apex.

In the main event, Finocchiaro expects Dan Ige to get the better of Chan Sung Jung, known as the “Korean Zombie,” in a featherweight bout.

Ige is five years younger and has fought six times in the past two-plus years, going 5-1 against top competition, Finocchiaro said. Jung has fought only three times in that span (going 2-1) and is “starting to get long in the tooth,” Finocchiaro said.

“Ige will use his footwork, his youth and his cardio to take Zombie into the deep water, and he could finish him,” Finocchiaro said.

The fight opened as a pick’em, but there is still value on Ige at -125 at Circa Sports, Finocchiaro said.

Here are Finocchiaro’s other plays:

Spivac inside the distance -145

Everything points to Serghei Spivac in a heavyweight fight against Aleksei Oleinik on the main card, Finocchiaro said.

Spivac is the much younger man at 26. Oleinik turns 44 next week and has lost his last two fights.

“The UFC wants Spivac to force Oleinik out of the organization,” Finocchiaro said.

Instead of laying -220 on the money line, Finocchiaro said he is taking Spivac to win inside the distance at -145 at Circa.

Jandiroba by decision +247

In the preliminaries, Finocchiaro expects Brazil’s Virna Jandiroba to handle Japan’s Kanako Murata in a women’s strawweight bout.

Jandiroba is taller and excels on the ground, and her two losses came against top competition, Finocchiaro said. Murata is undersized, but “she’s a tiger,” he said.

“Murata’s toughness and durability will keep her off the mat and away from a submission,” Finocchiaro said.

Instead of playing Jandiroba at -135 on the money line, Finocchiaro is taking her at +247 to win via decision.

O’Neill +150

In another preliminary bout, Brazil’s Lara Procopio wants to fight on the ground, and Scotland-born Casey O’Neill will want to stay on her feet in a flyweight match.

Finocchiaro is betting that O’Neill can, despite this being her second UFC fight.

She is 2 inches taller and two years younger — and she also has an attractive price at +150 at the Westgate.

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.