Tag: The Korean Zombie

Chan Sung Jung Resists Retirement, Calls For ‘One More Fight’ In UFC Seoul Homecoming

Chan Sung JungTwo-time UFC featherweight title challenger, ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung has distanced himself from a speculated retirement from professional mixed martial arts following his one-sided April defeat to Alexander Volkanovski – calling for the promotion to return to his native South Korea for “one more fight”. Jung, the current #5 ranked featherweight in the […]

Chan Sung Jung

Two-time UFC featherweight title challenger, ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung has distanced himself from a speculated retirement from professional mixed martial arts following his one-sided April defeat to Alexander Volkanovski – calling for the promotion to return to his native South Korea for “one more fight”.

Jung, the current #5 ranked featherweight in the official division stack, headliner UFC 273 back in April in Jacksonville, Florida – suffering an eventual fourth round strikes loss against defending undisputed champion, Alexander Volkanovski.

The defeat came as Jung’s second from his three most recent Octagon walks, following a prior damaging loss at the hands of fellow two-time title chaser, Brian Ortega.

In his most recent victory, the Busan-born contender defeated Dan Ige in a UFC Vegas 29 back in June of last year.

In the immediate aftermath of his UFC 273 defeat against Volkanovski, Jung flirted with a potential retirement from the sport, questioning if he had what it takes to ever lift featherweight gold under the UFC banner.

Chan Sung Jung calls for the UFC Octagon to return to his native South Korea

However, almost two months on from his comprehensive loss against Volkanovski, Jung has sights set on securing “one more fight” – as well as urging the UFC to land its Octagon in Seoul for a homecoming event for him.

“Perhaps I’m old, maybe I’m not good enough, so my goal was to always show everything in every fight, but I didn’t show up every time, so that is why I’m still here,” Chan Sung Jung wrote in Korean on his official Instagram account. “I couldn’t prove it in the last fight, and I’m especially disappointed.”

“This is not an excuse for the loss,” Chan Sung Jung explained. “I just have some regrets. I’m not saying that it wasn’t 100 percent me, but I think it is right to put on a performance that I believe in, so that is why I want one more fight. I can’t set any long-term goals. For the time being, one fight… I’ll do it in Seoul. Please hold an event.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

17-7 as a professional, Jung, who returned from military conscription back in 2017 following a four-year stay away from the Octagon, holds other notable career wins against the likes of Leonard Garcia, Mark Hominick, former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier, Dennis Bermudez, Renato Moicano, and former undisputed lightweight titleholder, Frankie Edgar.

Volkanovski To Korean Zombie: “Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself”

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…

Continue Reading Volkanovski To Korean Zombie: “Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself” at MMA News.

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.

Chan Sung Jung Only Medically Suspended 14 Days After UFC 273

Chan Sung JungChan Sung Jung only received a 14 day suspension after being dominated by Alexander Volkanovski for four rounds at UFC 273. The fight between the two was a one sided affair and Volkanovski landed over 150 strikes on The Korean Zombie. Despite the amount of damage he absorbed from ‘Volk’s’ strikes, he was only given […]

Chan Sung Jung

Chan Sung Jung only received a 14 day suspension after being dominated by Alexander Volkanovski for four rounds at UFC 273.

The fight between the two was a one sided affair and Volkanovski landed over 150 strikes on The Korean Zombie. Despite the amount of damage he absorbed from ‘Volk’s’ strikes, he was only given a 14 day medical suspension from the Florida State Boxing Commission. Volkanovski was handed the same amount of time for his suspension as well.

Jung was stopped in the fourth when veteran referee Herb Dean stood in and stopped the fight. Jung was still standing and absorbing strikes from the champ, but Dean clearly had seen enough of the one sided bout. The Korean Zombie is one of the toughest fighters in the entire organization, so it was not surprising when he said no to the doctor in between rounds about the possibility of stopping the fight.

The fight was very similar to the bout between Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson. Ferguson went out on his shield and declined to be put out, but it had to be stopped while he was still standing. Both fighters looked outclassed against their opposition, but their toughness just made them continue to go forward.

Chan Sung Jung Is unsure what the future holds for him inside the cage.

He had said right after the fight that he was unsure what he was fighting for, if it wasn’t for the championship. Jung has gotten upset in the past when he has lost big fights. He went on record saying he gained a lot of weight after his devastating loss to Brian Ortega.

Seeing The Korean Zombie drop to his knees in disappointment and overcome by sadness was one of the most upsetting things the UFC has seen in a little while.

The Korean Zombie Is Looking For The Best Street Fighters In Korea

UFC featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung (otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie’ is traveling around Korea looking for fighters. The Korean Zombie is set to face UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 273. He stepped up for Max Holloway after Holloway suffered an injury shortly after the trilogy was originally…

Continue Reading The Korean Zombie Is Looking For The Best Street Fighters In Korea at MMA News.

UFC featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung (otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie’ is traveling around Korea looking for fighters.

The Korean Zombie is set to face UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 273. He stepped up for Max Holloway after Holloway suffered an injury shortly after the trilogy was originally announced.

Jung has won three of his last four and has re-emerged in the featherweight title picture despite a recent loss to Brian Ortega. He most recently defeated Dan Ige via unanimous decision last June.

Jung is seen as a hero in South Korea. He has risen to prominence ever since he first challenged for the featherweight title against then-champion José Aldo at UFC 163.

But The Korean Zombie is looking to make an impact outside of the UFC Octagon in his home country.

During a recent joint interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Jung’s coach Eddie Cha made an exciting announcement regarding Jung’s journey in content creation.

“Go check out Zombie’s YouTube channel, he has over like 600 thousand subscribers,” Cha said of Jung. “Literally it’s gone viral, he’s got some cool stuff. His latest show right now that he’s doing, it’s kinda like a “Bully Beatdown.” They’re actually going from city to city to find who the best street fighters are and they kind of do a five-round scrap, they’ll give em five-grand. Not to win, but if they perform well. So he’s going from city to city [in Korea] to find the best fighters in the world.”

Jung has posted a variety of content on his YouTube channel, including food challenges and inside footage of his fight camps. He’s looking to pull off a shocking upset over Volkanovski and help promote the sport in South Korea in the process.

What is your prediction for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung?

Continue Reading The Korean Zombie Is Looking For The Best Street Fighters In Korea at MMA News.

Korean Zombie Plans To Pick Ortega’s Brains Ahead Of Volkanovski Fight

UFC featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung, otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie, plans to utilize his old rival for Alexander Volkanovski. Jung has been training at the growing Fight Ready gym in Arizona, alongside former UFC champions such as Jon Jones and Henry Cejudo. He has also come across Brian Ortega, a former rival of…

Continue Reading Korean Zombie Plans To Pick Ortega’s Brains Ahead Of Volkanovski Fight at MMA News.

UFC featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung, otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie, plans to utilize his old rival for Alexander Volkanovski.

Jung has been training at the growing Fight Ready gym in Arizona, alongside former UFC champions such as Jon Jones and Henry Cejudo. He has also come across Brian Ortega, a former rival of his who recently fell to Volkanovski at UFC 266.

Jung will step up and fight Volkanovski in substitute of Max Holloway, who pulled out of UFC 273 just days after it was first announced. This will be Jung’s second title shot after falling to José Aldo at UFC 163.

Jung plans to use all resources he can to prepare for arguably the biggest fight of his career against Volkanovski. During a recent interview with The Schmo, Jung hinted at working with Ortega in the lead up to his fight with Volkanovski.

“I’d love to pick his brain a little bit,” Jung said. “I know he went back to California yesterday, so I’m looking for him to come back so we can talk about it a little more.”

Jung earned the next title shot after winning three of his last four fights in the Octagon. He most recently put on a dominant performance against Dan Ige last June after falling to Ortega in a lopsided defeat.

Volkanovski earned the title over Holloway at UFC 245 before defending it against him at UFC 251. The rematch was controversial, and some believe Holloway deserved to get the win on the scorecards.

Regardless, Jung will get the next featherweight title shot and an opportunity to become the first Korean-born UFC champion. He’ll look to shock the world at UFC 273, with potentially the help of his former adversary Ortega.

What is your prediction for The Korean Zombie vs. Alexander Volkanovski?

Continue Reading Korean Zombie Plans To Pick Ortega’s Brains Ahead Of Volkanovski Fight at MMA News.

Korean Zombie: Max Holloway’s Recovery “Doesn’t Make Sense”

UFC featherweight contender “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung has questioned Max Holloway’s fast recovery from injury, which has seen the former champion pursue backup status for UFC 273. In the pay-per-view’s main event, reigning 145-pound king Alexander Volkanovski will hope to successfully defend his gold for the third time. In his way of doing…

Continue Reading Korean Zombie: Max Holloway’s Recovery “Doesn’t Make Sense” at MMA News.

UFC featherweight contender “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung has questioned Max Holloway’s fast recovery from injury, which has seen the former champion pursue backup status for UFC 273.

In the pay-per-view’s main event, reigning 145-pound king Alexander Volkanovski will hope to successfully defend his gold for the third time. In his way of doing so will be a UFC veteran renowned for his exciting style and thrilling performances throughout over a decade in the promotion.

Volkanovski was initially slated to share the Octagon with Holloway, who’d earned another shot at reclaiming the belt with 2021 victories over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez, for a third time at next month’s UFC 272 event.

When “Blessed” withdrew after aggravating a previous injury, the hunt for a replacement was on. Despite the pitches from Giga Chikadze, Henry Cejudo, Josh Emmett, and Rodriguez, it was “The Korean Zombie” who was granted the chance to dethrone “The Great” Volkanovski at the April 9 event.

Despite withdrawing from his scheduled trilogy bout with Volkanovski, it was recently revealed that Holloway has returned to training and is even open to serving as a backup fighter for the UFC 273 headliner.

Korean Zombie Joins The Sceptical Side

While Volkanovski made his feelings about the fast recovery crystal clear in a post on Twitter, accusing his rival of faking an injury in order to avoid a potential third defeat to the Aussie, others, including former opponent Kattar, have suggested it’s wrong to question Holloway’s withdrawal.

Now, with opinion largely split, the new next challenger for the featherweight strap has given his take on the latest revelations. During an interview with The Schmo, “The Korean Zombie” suggested Holloway’s ability to make the UFC 273 event “doesn’t make sense.”

Nevertheless, Jung claimed that while he won’t be pulling out himself, he’s open to an interim title clash with “Blessed” should Volkanovski be forced out of the PPV for whatever reason.

“It doesn’t make sense that he’s gonna be ready to go in a month,” Jung said via Coach Eddie Cha. “It’s pretty crazy. (I) won’t be getting injured. (I’ll) be making April 9th. So, if Volkanovski gets injured, (I’m) down to fight Holloway.”

If Holloway is not required on April 9, it’s likely the UFC 273 main event victor will be standing opposite him in the cage later this year for what will either be Volkanovski’s third clash with “Blessed” and fourth title defense, or Zombie’s first defense and first meeting with Holloway.

What do you make of Alexander Volkanovski and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung’s comments about Max Holloway’s fast recovery?

Continue Reading Korean Zombie: Max Holloway’s Recovery “Doesn’t Make Sense” at MMA News.