The Korean Zombie not expecting to knock out Brian Ortega despite coach's claims
The Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung's manager recently said that it would only take him one-third of the power that Max Holloway used to put out Brian Ortega. However, The Korean Zombie doesn't appear to share the same sentiment.
Speaking to reporters during the media day (via MMAJunkie), The Korean Zombie praised Brian Ortega's toughness and stated that he fully expects the fight to go five rounds:
“Ortega’s a tough guy to knock out,” Jung told reporters. “He’s got an unbelievable chin and he’s never been knocked out or knocked down. He got hit about 300 times by (Max) Holloway and still didn’t get dropped. He’s going to be a tough guy to knock out. He’s going to go five rounds and at the end of the day I want to just get that ‘W.'”
While The Korean Zombie and Brian Ortega aren't on the best of terms after their tense UFC 248 incident, he can't deny T-City's pedigree inside the Octagon:
“As an individual, we’re not on the best terms. But as Brian Ortega the fighter, I respect him to the utmost,” Jung said. “I’ve been a fan of him. All his fights, I’ve watched, and I’m actually amazed by some of the things he’s been able to accomplish. I’m expecting Brian Ortega the fighter.”
Ultimately, it's a number one contender's fight, and The Korean Zombie said that they could only go from what they see in the tapes. However, he admitted that he expects a different type of Brian Ortega:
"He can only trust what he’s prepared to do and what he’s planned to do. So we’re kind of expecting a different type of Ortega, but we can only guess. No one will really know how he’s going to come out.”
Will Brian Ortega's near two-year layoff help him defeat The Korean Zombie?
It's an exciting fight stylistically, and Dana White confirmed that the winner of The Korean Zombie vs. Brian Ortega will be Alexander Volkanovski's next Featherweight Championship challenger.
It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out and how either man fares against the Australian Featherweight Champion.