Photo by Woohae Cho/Zuffa LLC
“Whoever wins this fight, it catapults one of these guys into a shot at the title.”
UFC president Dana White has confirmed that the winner of the upcoming featherweight bout between Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega will get the next crack at reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, per a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.
“Yes, I think so,” White said. “First, this kid (The Korean Zombie) has superstar written all over him. He was called into the military in the prime of his career in South Korea. Then he gets out and has that incredible fight with Yair Rodriguez. He gets caught with one second left with that crazy elbow. He’s battled a couple injuries and had some bad luck along the way, but this is a big fight with Ortega.
“I’m excited it’s finally happening,” he added. “Whoever wins this fight, it catapults one of these guys into a shot at the title.”
Jung — otherwise known as Korean Zombie — fought Jose Aldo for the featherweight strap back in 2013 but lost via fifth-round TKO. Ortega, too, fought for the featherweight title against then-champ Max Holloway at UFC 231 but lost via fourth-round TKO.
Since then, Jung has gone on to earn stoppage wins over the likes of Renato Moicano and Frankie Edgar while Ortega, 29, hasn’t fought since his 2018 Fight of the Night epic with Holloway at UFC 231.
UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie takes place later this month, Oct. 18 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.