UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has urged Chan Sung Jung not to retire following their title fight at UFC 273.
‘The Korean Zombie’ touched on the possibility of him retiring following his latest title shot at UFC 273. The UFC featherweight contender suffered a TKO loss to the champion in what he had previously admitted may well be his last shot at the title.
The fight itself was a landslide with the featherweight champion dominating each round before securing the stoppage. In the process, Jung suffered significant damage in his attempt at becoming the first Korean UFC champion.
‘The Korean Zombie’ appeared pessimistic about his future within the sport following his latest setback as he hinted at retirement. He said the following in his post-fight interview:
“After every loss I always think about leaving the octagon, leaving this MMA game. But I’ll need more time to think on it and see if I’ll continue fighting. I have to think on that.”
Volkanovski spoke to TMZSports, where he looked to raise the spirits of his fellow fighter.
“I felt bad because you could see he was a bit emotional after the fight,” said Volkanovski. “I obviously couldn’t understand him, but I knew he was like talking about retiring and all that.
“I wanted him to understand that it doesn’t matter who was there in front of me, that was going to happen, so don’t be so hard on yourself. Because if you were in front of someone else that night, it wouldn’t have looked that way.”
The Korean Zombie has now fought twice for the UFC featherweight strap, falling short on both occasions. He entered the two title fights — that were separated nine years apart — as a huge underdog with his chances of winning the belt looking slim.
It now appears that the fan-favorite has given up on his hopes of winning the belt with retirement heavy on his mind.
Do you think it’s time for The Korean Zombie to call it quits? Or would you like to see the UFC veteran fight another day in the featherweight division?
Continue Reading Volkanovski To Korean Zombie: “Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself” at MMA News.