Chan Sung Jung has been on the UFC roster since 2011 and has already challenged for the featherweight title once. But the ‘Korean Zombie’ believes he has plenty more to offer as he prepares to step inside the octagon for the tenth time.
In fact the 34 year old feels it is ‘his time’ as he prepares to face Dan Ige at UFC Vegas 29 this Sunday (local time),
“Nobody trains as hard as I do. I’m more prepared than I’ve ever been so I believe it’s my time.”
He came up short against Jose Aldo in a featherweight title fight in 2013. But the #4 ranked 145lber in the UFC still dreams of becoming a champion,
“After everything I’ve accomplished I still dream about getting that belt wrapped around my waist. My career won’t feel complete without it.”
Working tirelessly
Jung is not just being aspirational. He is working tirelessly to make this dream a reality,
“Everybody wants to be champion but wanting it is not enough. I study all my opponents and work every day in the gym to make it a reality.”
His opponent is currently ranked #8 and Jung admits Ige wasn’t on his radar until recently,
“He’s a great all round fighter, he likes to brawl, he’s an aggressive fighter which makes it an exciting fight. I knew who he was after he fought Kattar (last year).”
Championship rounds
He is coming off a decision loss to Brian Ortega at UFC Fight Island 6. There had been a war of words between the two featherweights in the buildup to a fight that had been rearranged several times.
Jung says he learned a lot from that defeat,
“First and foremost Ortega fought a great fight I don’t want to take anything away from him. I learned a lot about handling pressure. My pride was hurt but I learned a lot of lessons.”
That fight lasted 25 minutes and this weekend’s bout is also scheduled for five rounds. Jung feels that this is the drawback of consistently being a headliner,
“I’ve been asking for a co-main event so I can do three rounds but they didn’t give it to me. There is an upside to being main event, you get more attention and a little but more money but I wanted to do a three rounder.”
Throwback to @KoreanZombieMMA's win in Busan! 🇰🇷🧟♂️
Can he do it again this Sunday?! #UFCVegas29 pic.twitter.com/2rRwjkswvN
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) June 16, 2021
Better everywhere
Jung knows that Ige has earned a reputation for being a brawler. He hopes the American will live up to that reputation this weekend but won’t be surprised if he tries a more tactical approach,
“He’s a brawler, if he wants to brawl I will welcome that kind of fight but a lot of people were saying that Ortega was going to brawl and it never happened.”
Jung admitted that losing to Ige could be the end of his title dream. He thinks defeat this weekend would see him become more of a Nick Diaz style attraction who can put on entertaining fights without ever emerging a serious contender.
But Jung sounds extremely confident of securing a win which could leave him on the cusp of a second title shot,
“He wont be able to deal with me. I’m better on the feet, I’m better on the ground and I can beat him anywhere the fight goes.”
