The Korean Zombie

Jung Chan-sung (; born March 17, 1987), anglicized as Chan Sung Jung and better known professionally as The Korean Zombie, is a South Korean former professional mixed martial artist best known for competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

A professional competitor since 2007, Jung had also competed for World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), Pancrase, World Victory Road, and DEEP. His nickname, "The Korean Zombie", comes from his perceived zombie-like ability to continue to move forward and fight aggressively, even after taking heavy blows.

Background Born in Pohang, North Gyeongsang in 1987, Jung moved to Namyangju, a satellite city of Seoul when he was in his mid-teens. Due to his slight stature and his rural origins, he was bullied constantly by his classmates and got into many fights as a result. When his aunt could no longer stand to see Jung's predicament, she took him to a nearby hapkido gym when he was around 14 years old. Jung trained in kickboxing until his junior year of high school. He graduated from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology. Later he also began training in Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

At the age of 18, Jung joined the South Korean Navy and started training in Taekwondo. In June 2007, he won a Sambo tournament arranged by the Korean Sambo Association, and in December of the same year, he won the Lightweight division of the Pancrase Korea Neo-Blood Tournament after defeating fellow South Koreans Yoo In Seok and Lee Hyung Geol.

Sengoku Jung then entered the 2009 Sengoku Featherweight Grand-Prix and was matched up with Shintaro Ishiwatari in his first-round fight at Sengoku 7. After dropping Ishiwatari once in stand-up striking, Jung hit Ishiwatari with a right hand forcing him to give up his back. From there Jung sunk in a rear-naked choke submission forcing Ishiwatari to submit at 4:29 of the first round.

In his second-round fight at Sengoku 8 on May 2, 2009, he lost via unanimous decision to Masanori Kanehara officially eliminating him from the tournament. The decision was considered questionable by the English commentators and many fans (especially given Sengoku's history of biased decisions against Korean fighters), who felt that Jung had done enough to deserve the decision. On June 7, 2009, it was announced Jung would face American Matt Jaggers at Sengoku 9 in a reserve bout for the tournament with the winner stepping in as a replacement should some of the remaining fighters be unable to continue. Jung ended up winning the fight by triangle choke submission at 1:25 of the second round, but was not required to step in as a replacement.

World Extreme Cagefighting Chan Sung Jung then signed with World Extreme Cagefighting. He made his American and WEC debut against Leonard Garcia (who replaced injured opponent Cub Swanson) on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48 Jung lost the fight via split decision. Many MMA publications and fans (including many in the Sacramento home crowd) opposed the decision, which has led again to questions about the accuracy of the fight judging. However, the bout was awarded the Fight of the Night honors; this was later declared the Fight of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Jung next faced George Roop on September 30, 2010, at WEC 51. He lost the fight via knockout due to a head kick in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship Jung was expected to face Rani Yahya on January 22, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 23. However, Jung was forced from the card with an injury.

A rematch with Garcia was scheduled for March 26, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 24, after Jung stepped in to replace an injured Nam Phan. Jung was able to avenge the original loss after submitting Garcia with a twister in the final second of the second round. This was the first time in the history of the UFC that a twister submission finished an opponent and the win earned Jung his first Submission of the Night honors. This was later awarded for the Submission of the Year by the World MMA Awards. In his post-fight interview, Jung stated he learned the move by watching Eddie Bravo videos on YouTube. Jung's victory over Mark Hominick earned him a $75,000 Knockout of the Night bonus. The victory also earned Jung much praise in his native South Korea, appearing on news broadcasts on the country's major national television channels (such as KBS).

Jung faced Dustin Poirier on May 15, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier. Jung defeated Poirier via submission in the fourth round. The performance earned Jung Submission of the Night and both participants Fight of the Night honors. The bout was honored as Fight of the Year and Submission of the Year by several publications at the conclusion of 2012. This fight was the first time that Jung walked out to the song Zombie by The Cranberries. He would use this for every fight thereafter.

Jung was expected to face Ricardo Lamas on July 6, 2013, at UFC 162. However, on June 14, it was announced that Jung had been pulled from the Lamas bout and would replace an injured Anthony Pettis to face José Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship on August 3, 2013, at UFC 163. Aldo defeated Jung via fourth-round TKO, finishing Jung with a flurry of strikes after Jung suffered a dislocated shoulder while throwing an overhand right.

Jung was expected to face Akira Corassani on October 4, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 53. However, Jung pulled out of the bout citing another injury and was replaced by Max Holloway.

Jung announced in mid-October 2014 his intention to begin his stint for mandatory military service in his home country of South Korea. While Jung did not comment about the future upon his completion, his manager indicated that he would return to mixed martial arts at the end of the two years.

In mid 2016, Jung attended Rener Gracie's inaugural Korean Super Seminar in Seoul.

Jung faced Dennis Bermudez on February 4, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 104. He won the fight by knockout in the first round. The win also won Jung his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

Jung was expected to face Ricardo Lamas on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. However, Jung pulled out of the fight in early June citing a knee injury. He was replaced by Jason Knight.

Jung was expected to face Frankie Edgar on November 10, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 139. However, it was reported on October 26, 2018 that Edgar was pulled from the bout due to injury and he was replaced by Yair Rodríguez. He lost the fight via knockout in the final second of the fifth round. Both participants received Fight of the Night honors.

Jung faced Renato Moicano on June 22, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 154. He won the fight via technical knockout in 58 seconds of the first round. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Jung was scheduled to face Brian Ortega on December 21, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 165. However, Ortega pulled out of the fight in early December citing a knee injury and he was replaced by Frankie Edgar. Jung won the fight via TKO in the first round. The win also earned Jung a Performance of the Night bonus award.

The bout against Brian Ortega was rescheduled on October 18, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 180. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Jung faced Dan Ige on June 19, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 25. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Following the fight, Jung was promoted to the rank of black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Jung challenged for the UFC Featherweight Championship for a second time against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 273 on April 9, 2022. After being out struck and knocked down multiple times throughout the fight, Jung lost the fight via TKO early in round four.

For the last time in his MMA career, Jung faced Max Holloway on August 26, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 225. Jung would go on to lose to Holloway via third round KO and subsequently announced his retirement after the fight. This bout earned the fighters a Fight of the Night award.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Submission of the Night (Two times) vs. Leonard Garcia and Dustin Poirier Fastest finish in UFC Featherweight division history (0:07 vs Mark Hominick) Fastest knockout in UFC Featherweight division history (0:07 vs Mark Hominick) Half-Year Awards: Best Submission of the 1HY , Ranked #6 Import of the Year & Ranked #8 Knockout of the Year 2012: Submission of the Year , Half-Year Awards: Best Fight of the 1HY & Ranked #2 Fight of the Year 2018: Ranked #3 Fight of the Year World Extreme Cagefighting Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Leonard Garcia KoreaFC Korea FC 65 kg Tournament Winner Pancrase Pancrase Korea Neo-Blood Lightweight Tournament Winner Wrestling Observer Newsletter 2010 Fight of the Year vs. Leonard Garcia at WEC 48 2012 Fight of the Year vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC on Fuel TV 3 World MMA Awards 2011 Submission of the Year vs. Leonard Garcia 2 at UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis MMA Fighting 2012 Fight of the Year vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC on Fuel TV 3 ESPN 2012 Fight of the Year vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC on Fuel TV 3 2023 Best Non-Fight Moment: Korean Zombie's Last Walkout at UFC Singapore Bleacher Report 2012 Fight of the Year vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC on Fuel TV 3 2018 Fight of the Year Sherdog 2012 Fight of the Year vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC on Fuel TV 3 2011 All-Violence First Team Inside MMA 2011 Submission of the Year Bazzie Award Bloody Elbow 2012 Fight of the Year FIGHT! Magazine 2012 Fight of the Year CBS Sports 2018 #3 Ranked UFC Fight of the Year

Personal life Jung has two daughters and one son. In 2014, he married his longtime girlfriend Park Sun Young.

Filmography Television series Year Title Role Notes 2024 Flex X Cop himself Cameo (episode 1)

Television shows Year Title Role Notes 2022–2023 Fighter Mentor

Music video appearances Year Song Title Artist 2021 "Lipstick" Lee Hi (Feat. Yoon Mirae)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Max Holloway KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie

Kallang, Singapore Loss

Alexander Volkanovski TKO (punches) UFC 273

Jacksonville, Florida, United States Win

Dan Ige Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Brian Ortega Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Frankie Edgar TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie

Busan, South Korea Win

Renato Moicano TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. The Korean Zombie

Greenville, South Carolina, United States Loss

Yair Rodríguez KO (elbow) UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez

Denver, Colorado, United States Win

Dennis Bermudez KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie

Houston, Texas, United States Loss

José Aldo TKO (punches) UFC 163

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win

Dustin Poirier Technical Submission (D'Arce choke) UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier

Fairfax, Virginia, United States Win

Mark Hominick KO (punches) UFC 140

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Win

Leonard Garcia Submission (twister) UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis

Seattle, Washington, United States Loss

George Roop KO (head kick) WEC 51

Broomfield, Colorado, United States Loss

Leonard Garcia Decision (split) WEC 48

Sacramento, California, United States Win

Matt Jaggers Submission (triangle choke) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 9

Saitama, Japan Loss

Masanori Kanehara Decision (unanimous) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 8

Tokyo, Japan Win

Shintaro Ishiwatari Submission (rear-naked choke) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 7

Tokyo, Japan Win

Fanjin Son KO (punch) Deep: 39 Impact

Okayama, Japan Win

Michihiro Omigawa Decision (unanimous) Deep: Gladiator

Okayama, Japan Win

Jung-Hun Cho Decision (unanimous)

Win

Dae-Han Choi Submission (triangle choke)

Win

Jung-Beom Choi Submission (armbar)

Win

Hyung-Geol Lee TKO (punches)

Win

In-Seok Yoo Submission (rear-naked choke)

Win

Hyung-Geol Lee Submission (reverse armbar) Super Sambo Festival

Gyeongju, South Korea Pay-per-view bouts No Event Fight Date Venue City PPV buys 1. UFC 163 Aldo vs. Korean Zombie August 3, 2013 HSBC Arena Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 180,000 2. UFC 273 Volkanovski vs. Korean Zombie April 9, 2022 VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Jacksonville, Florida, United States Not Disclosed

Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Blue Dragon Series Awards 2022 Best New Male Entertainer Fighter Club