Photo by Woohae Cho/Zuffa LLC
According to UFC president Dana White, a scuffle between featherweight contenders Brian Ortega and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.
As the action went on inside the Octagon at UFC 248, there was apparently a scuffle that also broke out the fighters’ section. According to UFC president Dana White, it was between featherweight contenders Brian Ortega and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.
“There was a lot of crazy sh-t going on tonight, it was weird,” White told the media during the post-fight scrum. “(Ortega) and the Zombie got in a fight, which is completely unlike both of their personalities.
“Zombie doesn’t even speak English, so I don’t know what the hell he could’ve said that would get Ortega to start going crazy. But yeah, it was weird.”
White went on to correct initial reports of the supposed brawl happening backstage. And when asked if there were legal repercussions for either fighter, White had this to say.
“Listen, we wouldn’t want anybody getting arrested,” he said.
Korean music artist Jay Park, who served as Chan Sung Jung’s translator during his recent appearance on the show, was slapped by Brian Ortega during tonight’s event, Park tells me. A scuffle ensued and then broken up. Ortega took issue with Park’s translation on the show.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 8, 2020
Park told me Ortega went up to him while Korean Zombie went to the bathroom and asked if he was Jay Park. Park said yes and, according to Park, Ortega slapped open palm slapped him.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 8, 2020
Happened right in front of me, felt like I was in highschool again holding people back “don’t do it maaan!” https://t.co/I4JZyVhE7d
— Angela Hill (@AngieOverkill) March 8, 2020
This was the moment that drew Ortega’s ire, it seemed https://t.co/90NEeZ3hwD
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 8, 2020
“T-City” was scheduled to headline UFC Busan last December against Zombie, but was forced out of the fight due to an ACL injury. He was replaced by former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, who ended up getting stopped via TKO in the first round.