UFC Fight Night 225 Aftermath: Curtain Call for the ‘Korean Zombie’

The main event of “UFC Singapore” was an action-packed fight with tons to talk about, as Max Holloway and Chan Sung Jung put on a classic matchup with back-and-forth action that was true to the legacy of both fighters. With “The Korean Zombie” hanging up the gloves and calling it a day, it was truly the end of an era. In today’s edition of Aftermath, we are talking the main event of “UFC Singapore” as well as a little bit of retrospective on the career of the legendary Jung.

A Performance Back from The Dead

Jung has been a UFC staple for over a decade. He was a World Extreme Cagefighting product in 2010 and when the UFC bought the promotion, “The Korean Zombie” was a part of the embarrassment of riches to come over with the acquisition including other legends like Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz, though at 0-2 in the blue WEC cage, he did not command quite the same level of hype—yet.

Jung’s career in the UFC started with a major bang. His famous twister submission of Leonard Garcia? Yep! That was his debut. It was a way to show the bosses they had a talent on their hands. Jungwould win three straight beating Garcia, Mark Hominick in seven seconds and Dustin Poirier, all three by finish. He then took on the legendary Aldo for the title at UFC 163 in 2013. After that unsuccessful bid, Jung, who was 26 at the time, was forced to take time away from the sport for mandatory military service in his native South Korea. This was right in Jung’s prime, but upon his return, it would be apparent he had not lost much of a step.

When he made it back to his career of choice in 2017, Jung was granted a welcome back party and was given a main event against Dennis Bermudez. That fight ended in a first-round knockout that announced he’d gone nowhere.

Jung’s next fight was against Yair Rodriguez. That fight was one that saw “The Korean Zombie” winning up until the last second, when Rodriguez caught him with the mythical up-elbow that took the world by storm. Jung would not be denied, however. He returned next against Renato Carneiro and finished in a spectacular 58-second knockout. He notched another win six months later against former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, another first-round finish. After dropping his next fight to Brian Ortega, Jung rattled off a win against Dan Ige in 2021 and was granted his second title shot against Alexander Volkanovski.

Jung’s popularity was quite apparent at “UFC Singapore.” The crowd roared during his walkout. But his popularity was acknowledged for some time by the UFC. Every single one of his fights since Dustin Poirier in 2012 has been a main event. He was given two “Submission of the Night” awards. He won “Knockout of the Night” against Hominick. Fight of the Night? Three times against Poirier, Rodriguez and this weekend against Holloway. He’s also the author of three “Performance of the Night” awards and the fastest finish in UFC featherweight history. His imprint on the sport will not be forgotten and as far as walkouts go, nobody tops “The Korean Zombie.”

Holloway Gets His First Knockout Since Aldo Rematch

Holloway had to put the old dog down but everything done was very respectful. There was no bad blood in the buildup or after the fight at “UFC Singapore.” Holloway went out, did his job and did it well. While I am of the opinion that the 31-year-old’s best days are behind him, Holloway showed his craftiness and the skills needed to get a win against a guy like Jung. Holloway’s skills are quite clearly not what they were. Be it because he doesn’t spar anymore or that he’s been in the UFC since he was 18, looking at old footage and then watching today’s Holloway show that he isn’t quite the same fighter. He’s not as fast, he doesn’t come with the same amount of volume that he once did, but where he lacks the skills of his youth, he makes up for it in knowledge. Holloway may be an old man by featherweight standards, but he is on his way to being that crafty old veteran that will give anyone trouble.

I am concerned about Holloway’s chin; he famously has the most significant strikes landed—and absorbed—in UFC history, I’m not sure if this fight was a knock on that chin or a testament to Jung’s power. Regardless, Holloway was hurt multiple times in this fight. Going forward, I would like to see Holloway’s head movement and defense improve. Holloway’s craftiness with his footwork was apparent early and it gave Jung fits. He consistently moved out of range at an angle while landing pot shots and lining up his power shots.

To square up, (1) Holloway would need to draw a counter out of Jung. He started this exchange in orthodox, the same as Jung. He would then (2) show a jab and a cross to get said reaction. It would work like a charm and (3) Jung would throw the left hook and Holloway would weave underneath and to his right. He would line up his left hand which (4) lands clean.

When fighting a power puncher like Jung, the danger is always there to get rocked. After getting rocked early, Holloway ratcheted down the pressure and started trying to let Jung come to him. This weaving under the big punches was what Holloway needed to really turn the tide in his favor.

Holloway dealt with the craftiness of Jung as well. Jung looked to find the counter he needed in the first two rounds of the fight at UFC Singapore. (1) When Holloway was in a bladed stance with Jung, he would (2) throw the jab out which Jung would slip to the outside. This opens Holloway up to a hook to the body big time, a liver shot on top of that. But Jung would instead go for the knockout up top. (3) He throws the left hook and Holloway dips underneath that. We see that Holloway will extend his arm as he’s down to deter any sort of clinching and keep space between him and Jung. If Jung were to press the issue, he could push him away with the forearm and put his weight behind it, but Jung does not look for the clinch and Holloway will then (4) exit at an angle to stay out of the clinch that Jung was looking for most of the night.

Going out on his shield

Circling back around to “The Korean Zombie,” the third round exemplified what he was so good at his entire career. Jung went out and brought the fight forward. He went after his opponent and wasn’t scared to get stopped, which, of course, he did. Jung went out on his shield as a warrior, one whose best days were behind him. When he announced his retirement, one of the MMA legends called it a day. He was finally able to rest and begin the next chapter of his life. Zombies are notoriously hard to kill and so was Jung. A threat at all times, he proved that Asian martial arts had potential in a sport where Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter, American and Russian wrestlers, and very little else had a foothold among the elite. Thank you for the entertainment. Long live “The Korean Zombie.”