Watch: Alexander Volkanovski waits for 'The Korean Zombie' to leave the octagon in a show of respect at UFC 273
UFC 273 headliners Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung provided fans with a lot of emotion. Their featherweight title clash ended after referee Herb Dean decided to stop the contest in the fourth round.
Despite both fighters being rivals just a few minutes earlier, the Aussie decided to show his opponent some well-deserved respect.
At the beginning of the fourth round, both fighters walked towards the center of the octagon. Volkanovski asked the Korean fighter if he was sure that he wanted to continue. Jung noted with approval and the fight continued.
However, his grit and determination weren’t enough to withstand the barrage of Volkanovski’s punches. Dean stopped the fight after 40 seconds, putting an end to the Korean’s second attempt at capturing the belt.
After the official decision, Jung walked back to his corner and fell to his knees. He hid his face in his hands and let emotions take over. After his cornermen helped him get to his feet, he walked towards the exit.
There, he bumped into Alexander Volkanovski. Both fighters hugged each other in a moment of comradery. In a show of respect for his opponent, Volkanovski pointed to the exit and left the octagon after Jung.
Alexander Volkanovski hints at possible move to the lightweight division
After his win over ‘The Korean Zombie’, Alexander Volkanowski spoke to Megan Olivi about various topics. One of them was a potential move up to the lightweight division.
Volkanovski said that the decision depends on the rest of the featherweight roster:
“Like, as I said, if the division isn’t going to sort itself ASAP, let’s start looking at lightweight then. They’ve got guys fighting there and you know how many times I’m defending. We’ve got all these rubies, I’m dominating. Maybe we’ve got to move up and do something up there. We’ll see what’s this division doing.”
Volkanovski is undefeated in the 145-pound division and has defended his UFC featherweight title three consecutive times. He’s also not a stranger to lightweight. The Aussie fought at 155 pounds on the regional circuit and also won some championship gold at the higher weight.
Watch Alexander Volkanovski's interaction with Megan Olivi below: