The Korean Zombie (Chan Sung Jung) feels that the UFC matchmakers should hold off on a potential rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway and greenlight a bout between himself and the new champion instead.
Alexander Volkanovski became the new UFC featherweight champion when he defeated Max Holloway at UFC 245 in December. The very next week, Chan Sung Jung knocked Frankie Edgar unconscious at UFC Busan to move up the rankings. Jung expressed disappointment in where he landed in the rankings, however, being placed at #4. Numbers aside, Jung believes that he would make for a more fitting and challenging first title defense for Alexander Volkanovski than Max Holloway (via MMA Fighting):
“I’m eager to know when he will be back,” Jung told
MMA Fighting. “I think I’d be able to beat Volkanovski easier than Holloway
could.”
The Korean Zombie has now won two consecutive fights, both by first-round KO. In fact, since returning to the UFC in 2017, all three of his victories have come by first-round KO. His sole loss came to Yair Rodriguez in November of 2018 in a fight where Jung was literally one second away from winning prior to Rodriguez’s knockout finish. But Jung acknowledges that he probably needs to do a little more to earn a shot at Volkanovski, even if he is convinced he would make for the champion’s toughest matchup at present:
“I do kind of think that I may have to fight once
more [before the title shot],” Jung said. “If I have to face another opponent,
I’ll go for it.”
That opponent may be Brian Ortega, who is currently
ranked two spots ahead of Jung at #2 and was the originally planned opponent
for him at UFC Busan before Ortega was forced out of the bout due to injury.
What, if anything, do you believe should happen before The Korean Zombie receives a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski?