Chan Sung Jung, better known by his moniker “The Korean Zombie” might be the most entertaining fighter on the planet right now – Simply put, when he’s entering the eight-sided cage it’s a ‘must see’ attraction.
When Jung, a Korean prospect with a small cult-following due to his high-tempo, balls-to-the-wall performances in the Sengoku Fighting Championship’s organization out of Japan joined Zuffa’s now defunct sister-organization World Extreme Cagefighting we had no idea the impact he would make in his first fight.
When he was paired up with the ‘loose cannon’ of the Greg Jackson-trained squad Leonard Garcia they stole the show with their fast-paced brawl that UFC commentator Joe Rogan dubbed the ‘fight of the decade’ and despite his losing effort his stock rose significantly.
Since joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship he has upped his game ten folds – First he avenged his loss to Garcia doing his best Eddie Bravo impression locking in a devastating twister then dispatched of former title-challenger Mark Hominick in just seven seconds.
Tonight he took another step up the ranks with his fight with Tim Creuder-trained rising-star Dustin Poirier who had never tasted defeat at 145-pounds.
The Louisiana native took control early before he was tripped to the mat where he sustained a cut on the forehead after a well-placed elbow was sent crashing into his face before Poirier took the reins once again in top position doing damage before returning for a slug-fest on the feet to close out the entertaining opening stanza.
After a quick trip to the floor early we began throwing fisticuffs early in the second frame with Jung rattled the 23-year-old with a flying knee before chaos broke out as he looked to put him away throwing knees and powerful uppercuts before an exciting submission scramble on the floor with Poirier being saved by the bell after avoiding several armbar attempts.
The tide seemed to turn in the third round as Jung was clearly fatigued that gave Poirier the opportunity to work his game against the cage in the clinch before finding his range late and connecting with a string of punches that Jung shook off while aggressively moving forward, a sight that brought back a lot of memories for WEC diehards.
The fourth frame Jung got his second wind with a brutal uppercut and flying knee combination that forced Poirier to dive for a single-leg and within seconds had sunk in the fight-ending d’arce choke to the approval of the Virginia natives who erupted for the finish.
“I want Jose Aldo” he stated post-fight with the assistance of his interpreter and with this victory he’s certainly at the top of the pecking order at 145-pounds.
The Brazilian-born power-puncher is currently slated to defend his ten-pounds of gold against Erik Koch at UFC 149 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and whoever leaves the Great White North with their hand raised will have a slew of interesting challengers ahead of them.
Right now, the only other person who could cut in front of the entertaining featherweight is former Shooto champion and long-time top-ranked combatant Hatsu Hioki who recently turned down facing Aldo to get more cage time.
Hioki is unbeaten in his last six bouts with notable wins against his name over Marlon Sandro, Rumina Sato, Jeff Curran, Bart Palaszewski and Mark Hominick but the real issue at hand is the casual viewer has no idea who this talented Tokyo resident is.
At this point and time the Tokyo resident can continue to rack up victories and especially without a solid pool of challengers he will get his turn in the sun but Jung is a far more interesting challenger for the featherweight king.
