The Korean Zombie's coach on why it will be easy to knock out Brian Ortega
The Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung is set for his toughest test in the last few years when he takes on Brian Ortega this weekend in the main event of UFC Fight Island 6.
It's a tricky fight for both men. The Korean Zombie and Brian Ortega were originally scheduled to compete in the final fight of the decade in Busan last December, but Ortega pulled out with an injury. Frankie Edgar replaced him and suffered a devastating TKO defeat.
With all that's happened between The Korean Zombie and Brian Ortega, UFC had to wait until South Korea's lockdown to finish and their travel restrictions to ease to book the fight. Otherwise, it likely would have happened in the first half of 2020.
Either way, Chan Sung Jung's coach Eddie Cha spoke to BJPENN.com and he said that their entire team is excited about the fight:
“Super excited about the fight. We prepared for him already before he pulled out and it got switched to Edgar,” Cha said to BJPENN.com. “The quarantine actually helped us. We watched a lot of tape on Ortega and I think it will be a great fight. Ortega is a game opponent but Zombie has been knocking everyone out as of late.”
While admitting that Brian Ortega has greater pedigree in jiu-jitsu, they don't seem to be too worried. He said that they are looking at different ways to work around it:
“We are just working on Zombie’s range and footwork just like we have been in the past two fights since we started working with him. He is now starting to set traps, he put on weight, and is a much better fighter.”
Eddie Cha mentioned that there is a far greater disparity in striking between the fighters than their jiu-jitsu levels:
“I don’t know if we can match Ortega’s, but it is an MMA fight. It is hard to do jiu-jitsu when you have been kicked, elbowed, kneed,” he said. “People are talking about how much better of a grappler Ortega is, but people don’t mention how there is a massive difference striking.”
Will The Korean Zombie or Brian Ortega face Alexander Volkanovski next?
It's hard to see a scenario where Brian Ortega deserves a title shot with one win, but Dana White confirmed that the bout will be a No.1 contender's fight. It's going to be nothing short of a war and most fans will hope that The Korean Zombie wins as it has been a while since he has challenged for a title.