You’d be forgiven for thinking that the ‘Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung was already a BJJ black belt, but the South Korean UFC veteran was only awarded it after his most recent victory over Dan Ige at UFC Vegas 29. Prior to this, Jung dropped a unanimous decision against Brian Ortega in an incredibly tough match that proved to be a title-eliminator as Ortega is now booked to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight title after the conclusion of season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter.
As a result, he came into UFC Vegas 29 hungry to get back into the win column against a top ten opponent in Dan Ige. When the cage doors closed Jung showed that he still has plenty left in the tank despite being in his mid-thirties as he outgrappled Ige from start to finish and was awarded the unanimous decision after five action-packed rounds. This win is vital for Jung’s hopes of a title-shot in the future as it reaffirms his position in the top five of the Featherweight division and could potentially earn him the next opportunity after the conclusion of Ortega v Volkanovski.
It seems a little more likely however that Jung will have to win one more fight to guarantee his chance to fight for the title. At present, the only people ranked above him in the division outside of Ortega is Yair Rodriguez and Max Holloway. It’s hard to say what’s more exciting, the prospect of a rematch with Rodriguez after they put on one of the best fights of 2018 or the chance to see an unstoppable force meet an immovable object if he faces off with Holloway. Whichever one happens, Chan Sung Jung will now be making the walk to the cage as a BJJ black belt for the first time in his career.
The UFC Vegas 29 replay, including the moment that ‘Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung was awarded his BJJ black belt, will soon be available to watch on UFC FightPass, click here to subscribe and watch.
Korean Zombie just received his black belt! 😮🥋🧟♂️ #UFCVegas29 pic.twitter.com/WQxO7klt8h
— The Stockton Queen 🤙🏻 𝟐𝟎𝟗 (@TheFightQueen) June 20, 2021
