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Tag: chan sung jung

  • 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 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?

  • 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 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?

  • 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 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.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CZnhjU5tQNd/

    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?

  • Coach Shares Advantage That Could Lead To Zombie Beating Volkanovski

    Fight Ready striking coach Eddie Cha has revealed the stylistic advantage he believes could give “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung the edge if he challenges Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title.

    Mere days ago, the promotion’s plans for March’s UFC 272 were revealed. Completing a blockbuster trilogy, Volkanovski looked set to defend his belt against Max Holloway, who has impressed in two main event wins since his back-to-back losses against the Australian.

    But after aggravating a previous injury, news broke that “Blessed” had been forced to withdraw from the contest. We want to say that fight joy has never been provided and taken away so drastically and quickly, but for UFC fans, especially during the pandemic, this is nothing new.

    It didn’t take long for a number of featherweight contenders to throw their names in the hat to replace Holloway. As well as top-10 145lbers Yair Rodriguez and Giga Chikadze, former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo once again staked his claim for the chance to win a third divisional gold in the promotion.

    However, per Ariel Helwani, the man set to take centre stage with “The Great” Volkanovski at UFC 273 in April is The Korean Zombie. The fan favorite rebounded from his title eliminator loss to Brian Ortega with a main event win against Dan Ige last year. He’ll now look to reach the mountaintop at the second time of trying.

    With Zombie’s replacement opportunity all but officially confirmed, the 34-year-old’s coach Eddie Cha spoke exclusively to MMA News. As well as discussing the latest developments in the featherweight title picture, Cha spoke about a possible Cejudo return, Deiveson Figueiredo’s preparation ahead of UFC 270, and Zhang Weili’s expected return to the Fight Ready gym.

    Cha: Zombie Has A Great Chance Of Beating Volkanovski

    While some see Zombie as the correct replacement for Holloway, many in the MMA community have claimed Chikadze should be thrust to the title should he defeat Calvin Kattar in this weekend’s main event. However, with the Georgian sat at #8 in the rankings, compared to Zombie’s #4 spot, and the South Korean’s 3-1 record since 2018, it’s hard to brand the veteran as undeserving.

    Along the same lines, many expect the likes of Chikadze and Rodriguez to pose a greater threat to Volkanovski than Zombie. But one man who’s consistently worked with the 34-year-old in the gym and throughout his career believes he may shock the world when he enters the Octagon with the Aussie titleholder.

    Naming his height advantage and prior success against shorter fighters as evidence, which includes knockouts of Frankie Edgar and Dennis Bermudez, Cha told MMA News’ James Lynch that Zombie has a “great chance” of taking the title from Volkanovski.

    “I think Volkanovski is an unbelievable champion. I think he’s been underestimated the last few fights. But now, he’s not. Everybody knows how good he is. But, as far as stylistically, Zombie does so well against shorter fighters. I really kinda like this fight; I think anybody does when it comes to a title shot, but I really think he has a great chance of winning that fight.”

    With Glover Teixeira dethroning Jan Blachowicz last October and Julianna Peña shocking the world by submitting Amanda Nunes in December, 2021 had its fair share of upsets. If Cha and The Korean Zombie have their way, the name Chan Sung Jung will be on the Upset of the Year nominee list at the end of 2022.

    Do you think The Korean Zombie has what it takes to dethrone Alexander Volkanovski?

  • Korean Zombie Set To Challenge Alex Volkanovski At UFC 273

    The Korean Zombie has been selected to replace Max Holloway as UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski’s next title defense.

    Shortly after news broke that Holloway was out of his UFC 272 fight against Volkanovski, people started to wonder what will be next for the champion. Many names were suggested for Volkanovski, with Chan Sung Jung, better known as The Korean Zombie, being one of them.

    Now, according to MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, the bout is a “done deal” to take place on the April 9th pay-per-view. It was also revealed that Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan II will take place on this same card.

    This is a fight that the champion himself pushed for after Holloway withdrew from the bout.

    “Let’s do this!! #UFC272” Volkanovski tweeted last week.

    Zombie Coming Off Recent Main Event Win

    Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas of USA TODAY Sports

    Volkanovsk’s canceled defense against Holloway would have been a trilogy fight. His second fight against Holloway came in 2020 and saw him defend his belt for the first time in split-decision fashion.

    Volkanovski has since defended his belt again, going five rounds against Brian Ortega for a scorecard victory.

    The Korean Zombie made a clear push towards a title fight in 2019, attaining first-round wins over Renato Moicano and Frankie Edgar. That momentum was later stopped by Ortega, who beat him in the main event of a show in 2020.

    Zombie has since bounced back with a big win, beating Dan Ige via unanimous decision in June 2021.

    Who do you think will win this featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and The Korean Zombie?

  • Josh Emmett Targets Title Eliminator Against “The Korean Zombie”

    UFC featherweight Josh Emmett is hoping his next appearance in the Octagon will be a title eliminator against veteran contender “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.

    Emmett’s surge towards the title stalled last year following his clash with Shane Burgos. While securing a unanimous decision victory over “Hurricane” in a Fight of the Night contest, the 36-year-old was left with an ACL tear that saw him on the sidelines for well over a year.

    Having overcome the serious knee injury, Emmett returned to action at UFC 269, the final pay-per-view of 2021. Against tough and gritty contender Dan Ige, Emmett became a useful piece of evidence for those who doubt the existence of ring rust.

    After three rounds of preliminary card action, which saw the Phoenix native put his power on full display with a first-frame knockdown, Emmett fell on the right side of a close decision.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXggzJoJYqm/

    Emmett Lays Out Path To The Title

    Having cemented his spot just outside the featherweight top five, extended his win streak to four, and reminded the rest of the division of his presence, Emmett is looking to stake his claim for a championship opportunity in 2022.

    During a recent interview with The Hannibal TV, Emmett discussed his options moving forward. With most top contenders pre-occupied or coming off a loss, presuming Max Holloway fights for the belt next, the 36-year-old believes there is only one man who can stand opposite him in the cage for a title eliminator.

    “The only person that’s in front of me coming off a win, and that’s not booked, is Korean Zombie. So it’s like, that would be awesome to fight Korean Zombie in a title eliminator, and then the winner gets the winner of the trilogy fight (Volkanovski vs. Holloway 3)… Giga (Chikadze) and Calvin Kattar are fighting soon, so there’s no one available in front of me (except Zombie).”

    Emmett also revealed some frustration with regards to how the UFC have booked him in the past. Having watched a number of names rise the divisional ladders after receiving opportunities against higher-ranked names, Emmett questioned why he’s always been made to fight down the rankings.

    He’s looking to change that in 2022, and says he won’t be fighting a featherweight below him. If the UFC is to heed to those demands, it stands to reason we’ll be seeing Emmett and “The Korean Zombie” throwing bombs inside the Octagon in the coming months.

    “I really want a title eliminator, I’ve fought everybody behind me and I’m one of the only guys they only offer fights behind me. Everyone else, they’re not even ranked in the top 15, then they get a fight in the top 10, and then they’re fighting someone in the top five. I don’t really get it. I do not want to fight anyone behind me. I want my next fight to be a title eliminator. There’s only one guy coming off a win that’s available and I would love to fight him.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CNK-Mz-BEvH/

    After back-to-back victories over Renato Moicano and Frankie Edgar in 2019, Chan Sung Jung saw his immediate title hopes shattered by Brian Ortega in a 2020 main event. But the 34-year-old brawler burst back into the conversation with a headlining decision triumph over Ige earlier this year.

    With both Josh Emmett and “The Korean Zombie” coming off impressive decisions against “50K,” it seemingly makes sense to match the pair up for a 2022 showdown.

    How do you think a fight between Josh Emmett and “The Korean Zombie” would play out?

  • Archives: MMA News’ Naughty & Nice Christmas List For 2018

    As you continue to celebrate Christmas 2021, join us in taking a look back at the MMA News’ Naughty & Nice List of 2018, courtesy of ex-staff member Adam Martin.

    The following editorial is brought to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 21, 2018, 12:42 PM]

    Headline: MMA Naughty & Nice Christmas List For 2018

    Author: Adam Martin

    Just like any other year, there was good and bad in MMA in 2018. Below are some instances of those in the business who were naughty, and those who were nice.

    Naughty: Khabib Nurmagomedov Jumps Over Cage

    There’s no question UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov tops the naughty list after jumping over the fence at UFC 229 and going after Conor McGregor’s corner. Regardless of what Team McGregor said to Nurmagomedov in the lead-up to the fight, he had no business scaling the fence and then launching himself into the crowd. Nurmagomedov hasn’t even received his full punishment for the incident yet, and he is likely headed for more fines and suspensions. But the worst thing about this is that the lightweight division finally had some momentum again and this incident stalled it. The UFC might want to book the rematch between Nurmagomedov and McGregor just because it will sell big bucks, but the promotion shouldn’t even risk something like this happening again.

    Nice: UFC Lets Demetrious Johnson Go, Completes Trade with ONE

    After losing the flyweight title in a huge upset to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227, the UFC granted Demetrious Johnson his release and helped orchestrate a trade to ONE Championship for Ben Askren. The UFC could have been sticklers and made Johnson fight out his deal with them, but chose to do the right thing and let Johnson go off to greener pastures. The UFC makes a lot of selfish decisions, but letting Johnson go to ONE — not to mention Sage Northcutt and Eddie Alvarez — was a good PR move, and just a good-will move to give one of the greatest fighters of all time the right to pick his next home.

    Naughty: UFC Signs Greg Hardy

    What wasn’t the greatest PR move was the UFC signing Greg Hardy to a contract. Yes, Hardy is an intriguing heavyweight prospect with huge knockout power and raw athleticism who could be something special. But you can’t ignore his past, and his domestic violence incident will always stay with him. The sport of MMA has a lot of people in it who have done some bad things, so Hardy shouldn’t be completely singled out, but the UFC signing him and then booking him on the same card as Rachael Ostovich was a terrible move.

    Nice: “Jacare” Holds Up From Hurting Chris Weidman

    In one of the ultimate acts of sportsmanship, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza knocked out Chris Weidman at UFC 230 but refused to throw any follow-up punches once Weidman landed on the canvas. Unlike Dan Henderson, who viciously punched Michael Bisping on the mat even though he was knocked out back at UFC 100, Souza refrained from hitting Weidman any more, and later on the two posted pictures with each other and kind words on social media. Souza and Weidman are two of the most respectful and genuinely good guys in the game, so did you expect anything less?

    Naughty: 48-year-old Chuck Liddell Fights in 2018

    Golden Boy MMA goes on the naughty list for actually booking Chuck Liddell to fight in the year 2018. Liddell had no business coming out of retirement and it wasn’t shocking at all to see him get brutally knocked out by Tito Ortiz at age 48. Shame on the promotion, shame on the commission, and shame on the fighter. This fight was embarrassing and should have never happened. Liddell should truly never fight again, and at this point it looks like Golden Boy MMA itself may never put on a fight again, either.

    Nice: Chan Sung Jung and Yair Rodriguez Take Hospital Photo After Epic Brawl

    Arguably the best fight of 2018 was the wild brawl between Chan Sung Jung and Yair Rodriguez at the UFC’s 25th anniversary event. The two featherweight sluggers went at each other for nearly five full rounds before Rodriguez landed an insane upward elbow with one second left in the fifth round to pick up maybe the single-greatest knockout in MMA history. After the fight, the two warriors posed in the hospital for a memorable picture that exemplified the respect and true martial arts that the bedrock of this sport was built on.

    Naughty: Conor McGregor Bus Incident

    This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the bus incident back at UFC 223. Conor McGregor threw a dolly through a bus window which ended up injuring several fighters and leading to multiple fights being scrapped. It was one of the ugliest outside-the-cage incidents involving an MMA fighter all year, perhaps only eclipsed by Nurmagomedov jumping over the fence at UFC 229, depending on how you look at things.

    What are some other examples of naughty and nice in MMA in 2018? Leave a comment below with your examples.