The Korean Zombie is back…and hope for a resurrected champion
“I still think I have a chance to be a champion, and this fight will evaluate that possibility.”
“Korean Zombie” Chung Chan Sung (36) will be singing his resurrection song in the Octagon for the first time in a year and four months. Ahead of his showdown with UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway (32-USA), he said in a video interview with Korean media on Feb. 22, “Of course, there’s a lot of Holloway in the show, but you don’t know until you fight him,” adding, “I believe in myself and I don’t doubt myself. I will do my best to win,” he said.
Chung left the country the day before to compete at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Currently ranked No. 8 in the featherweight division, it will be the first time Chung has stepped into the Octagon since losing a title fight to featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (35-AUS) in April last year.
Chung attempted to make a comeback in February of this year in Seoul, but the event was canceled due to a shoulder injury. “I would love to play more often, but there is a lot of money at stake in terms of business, so I can’t get a match easily,” said Chung, “and as a result, I met such a good opponent.”
The fight was announced in April when Holloway threw down the gauntlet, saying in a ring interview that Chung was the only fighter of his generation he hadn’t fought, “I don’t know how I didn’t fight him after growing up watching him fight.”
Holloway, a former champion, is considered one of the best ‘strikers’ in the UFC and is said to have no weaknesses. “In my opinion, he still has some weaknesses,” Jung said, “First of all, he throws a lot of punches, but I have prepared a lot of techniques to counter him, such as counters.” He added, “It will be a very tough match. “It’s going to be a very tough match,” he said, adding, “I’m going to make up my mind and not give up even if it’s hard. That’s the most important strategy.”
After his loss to Volkanovski last year, Chung admitted that he “felt like I couldn’t be a champion”. “I was being honest with my feelings at the time,” he said, adding, “If I still had those feelings, I would have retired, but I came back to prove it.”
Chung, who made his mixed martial arts debut in 2007 and has an overall record of 11-7 (7-4 UFC), is entering his twilight years. “I don’t have much time left,” he said, “I don’t know when it will be, but I want to fight my last fight in Korea.” 메이저사이트