Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
UFC featherweight contender Brian Ortega releases a new apology for both K-pop star Jay Park and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.
In his 15-month absence from competition, featherweight contender Brian Ortega managed to get himself in the news, but for the wrong reasons. During UFC 248 last weekend, he got into an altercation with K-pop star Jay Park.
Park also did translating duties for “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, which was said to be the root cause of the whole mess. Ortega was apparently upset about Park’s translation, saying he “ducked” his scheduled fight with Jung last December at UFC Busan.
Jung has also slammed Rener Gracie for his comments addressing the incident, while Ortega released a very brief, “official” apology via Twitter.
On Wednesday, the 29-year-old Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt decided to issue a lengthier and more serious statement via Instagram. He expressed regret for his actions, and how it’s now affecting other people in his life.
My pride is my enemy, and over the last couple days I’ve been battling it. I hope you understand that I’m human and I’m flawed, in more ways than one. In the beginning, I justified my actions based on the series of events that led up to Saturday, but I now realize that what I did was wrong overall.
My parents taught me dignity and respect, and I didn’t show that. My coaches have always taught me that martial arts are to empower the weak against the strong. On Saturday, that didn’t happen.
When I make a mistake, I own the consequences. But in this case the negativity that I’ve caused has spilled over to the people closest to me, and that’s how I know that what I did was truly wrong. I’m sorry to you guys and my family.
I apologize to @JParkitrighthere for my actions and the shit storm that followed, you deserve to enjoy MMA from outside the octagon just like any other fan. I apologize to @KoreanZombieMMA for dragging your friend into an equation that should start and end with the fighters.
Ortega’s actions greatly upset Jung, who now wants a bloody payback inside the UFC cage. A police report was also said to have been filed against “T-City.”