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How Brian Ortega and “The Korean Zombie” compare in key stats
A featherweight title eliminator sits at the top of Saturday’s UFC Fight Island 6 card. In that bout, two former title challengers, Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung face off to decide who will be the next competitor to meet current UFC bantamweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski.
In early October, UFC president Dana White announced that the winner of this bout would get a title shot, “I’m excited it’s finally happening. Whoever wins this fight, it catapults one of these guys into a shot at the title.”
Ortega and Jung were first booked to face off in December 2019, but a knee injury knocked Ortega from the fight.
Ortega has not fought since then champion, Max Holloway, thrashed him in the main event of UFC 231, which took place in December 2018. The cage side doctor stopped the beating at the end of Round 4. The loss was the first of Ortega’s career.
Jung fought then champion Jose Aldo in February 2013. Aldo won that contest by TKO in the fourth round. Not long after that setback, Jung served his mandatory military service in South Korea.
Since he returned to action in 2017, Jung has gone 3-1 with three first round knockouts. His sole loss came at the 4:59 mark of Round 5 in his matchup opposite Yair Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who was on his way to losing that contest on the scorecards, knocked out Jung with a beautiful elbow. Jung has won fight-night bonus awards in each of his post-military service bouts.
Headed into this matchup, the biggest statistical concern is the number of significant strikes Ortega absorbs per minute.
Before Saturday’s UFC Fight Island 6 fight card takes place, here is a look at how the main event competitors line up in the striking department and other important statistical categories.