Following nearly two years away after coming up short in his last bid to become featherweight champion, Ortega returned on Saturday night for a main event showcase against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. What was billed as a grudge match ultimately played out as a lopsided five-round fight as Ortega displayed a new level of striking to beat Jung to the punch in virtually every exchange before earning a unanimous decision.
“It feels good, ” Ortega said after having his hand raised. “We got to work. Like everyone thought that I took some time off. No, I had surgeries, I got right back to work.
“I said I need everything new. I need to become a new guy and get better at MMA. Everything that MMA has, wrestling, striking, so today I tried to do the best I could to mix it all up and show everyone that I’m back.”
Coach: Korean Zombie Put On Weight, Will Ko Brian Ortega — 'there Is A Massive Striking Difference'
There was no ring rust to knock off because Ortega came back with a renewed sense of purpose and a whole new arsenal at his disposal as he exchanged with Jung on the feet with little fear of reprisal. Showcasing a long reach, Ortega kept the always exciting “Korean Zombie” at the end of his punches and fired a series of overhand punches including a left hand that put Jung down to the mat briefly in the opening round.
Realizing that his output was lower than usual, Jung started to get more aggressive as he pressed forward while throwing punches in bunches. During one exchange, Jung tagged Ortega with a strong uppercut in the middle of a combination that appeared to put the momentum in his favor.
That came to a halt in a hurry when Ortega decided to counter with a perfectly timed spinning elbow that blasted Jung flush in the jaw and sent him crashing to the canvas. Ortega quickly followed up looking for the finish but “The Korean Zombie” was able to stave off the attacks until the round came to a close.
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THE SPINNING ELBOW Ortega and Zombie are starting to trade! [ #UFCFightIsland6 | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/FTmFbvxXom— UFC (@ufc) October 18, 2020
While he’s shown incredible grappling in the past, Ortega obviously worked hard on his striking during the two years he spent away after falling to Max Holloway in 2018. Ortega showed so much diversity on the feet, chipping away at Jung with punches and kicks while mixing in more of those devastating elbows.
With five minutes remaining, Ortega was still feeding Jung a steady diet of straight jabs and then capping off his combinations with power punches. Knowing that “The Korean Zombie” needed a finish, Ortega stayed out of any major flurries while putting on a technical masterpiece over 25 minutes.
Dana White: Brian Ortega
There was no doubt that Ortega won the fight when the final horn sounded but it’s hard to imagine anyone predicted such a one-sided affair.
With the victory, Ortega will now look to cash in on a pre-fight promise from UFC president Dana White that the winner of the UFC Fight Island 6 main event would move onto compete for the featherweight title.
“We’re going to find out if I’m ready, ” Ortega said about a second shot at UFC gold. “In this game, you take chances. You don’t grow in the comfort zone.UFC referee Lukasz Bosacki (C) raises Brian Ortega's (L) hand following Ortega's unanimous decision victory over The Korean Zombie Jung Chan-sung in the five-round featherweight main event of UFC Fight Night 6 at The Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, UAE, October 18, 2020. /Zuffa
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Brian Ortega Vs The Korean Zombie To Headline Ufc South Korea
One thing UFC president Dana White is particularly proud of is ensuring nobody in his organization gets a tune-up fight. He believes this separates the UFC from other combat sports leagues, and from the world of contemporary boxing in particular, by keeping competition high and preventing fighters from getting padded resumes.
For fans, this is a good thing. For fighters, less so – especially fighters in the position of Brian T-City Ortega. Ortega had an undefeated streak of 14-0 with one No Contest that lasted from 2010 to 2018. His loss to then-UFC men's featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 231 on December 8, 2018, was due to a doctor's stoppage. It was an anticlimactic end to his hot streak, not so much because of the loss itself, but because it would be the last round Ortega would fight for almost two years.
Ortega took almost a year to recuperate from his injuries. During that time, he got into a heated rivalry with Jung Chan-sung, better known to MMA fans as The Korean Zombie (TKZ). Even though it was revealed that it was orchestrated by TKZ's translator Jay Park, it drew a lot of attention, and a fight was signed for UFC Fight Night: Busan on December 21, 2019.
Brian Ortega Vs. Chan Sung Jung Odds, Pick & Prediction: Back The Korean Zombie To Come Alive Early (saturday, Oct. 17)
Brian Ortega (R) hits Jung Chan-sung with a hard right during their five-round featherweight main event at UFC Fight Night 6 at The Flash Forum, October 18, 2020. /Zuffa
An ACL tear forced Ortega to pull out on December 4. That should have been the end of the feud: The trash talk had been revealed to be a put-on, and Ortega was out of action. However, several days later, in an ESPN interview, TKZ said he thought Ortega was ducking him.
Certain people in MMA don't take kindly to that sort of banter. Conor McGregor found out the hard way with Khabib Nurmagomedov in the cage, Leon Edwards found out with Jorge Masvidal backstage at UFC Fight Night London, and Jay Park found out when Ortega walked up to him in the crowd and slapped him at UFC 248 on March 7 this year. The hype was now real, and there could only be one fight for Ortega's return.
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That fight took place at UFC Fight Island 6 on October 18, 2020. After almost two years on the shelf, and with a point to prove, all eyes were on Ortega. The two men are known as brawlers, so it was expected that Ortega would start fast. Instead, Round 1 was almost entirely a feeling out process with Ortega using his jab to set up harder strikes that found their target later into the round.
Brian Ortega knocks Jung Chan-sung down with a reverse elbow during the second round of their five-round featherweight main event of UFC Fight Night 6 at The Flash Forum, October 18, 2020. /Zuffa
The chess match ended a minute into Round 2 when TKZ sprinted over and tried punch combinations on Ortega's chin. Ortega said he wanted to be unrecognizable in this fight, and he showed it. Instead of being drawn into a slugfest, he maintained his composure and built on the jab and jab feints of Round 1 with takedown attempts and feints. TKZ, usually a bulldozer, now looked timid, unsure when to pull the trigger to avoid caught in Ortega's excellent jiujitsu. With barely 60 seconds remaining, he reverted to type and tried another bullrush, only to find himself on the receiving end of a pinpoint reverse elbow.
Brian Ortega Puts On Five Round Masterpiece To Dominate 'the Korean Zombie' In Ufc Fight Island 6 Main Event
TKZ survived the round, and the remainder of the fight proved Zombie isn't just a nickname. It was given to Chan because he's notoriously resilient, but following that second round elbow, he really became dead inside. Even when he had Ortega pinned against the cage, his head was still, and his feet were flat.
From there, the only differences in rounds 3, 4 and 5 were how much damage Ortega inflicted on TKZ and how far ahead of him he pulled in terms of points. TKZ only wanted to apply pressure and swing for the fences. Meanwhile, Ortega mixed all his skills to run rings around TKZ and pulverize him. In Round 3, he chased TKZ across the Octagon, hunting for a takedown, only to release when he was expected to pull down and instead cut TKZ open with a punishing right hook.
In the final round, TKZ was so confused by Ortega's offense that he found himself getting hit by simple right and left straights. When the final bell rang, it was no surprise that Ortega won by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45). What was surprising was how good Ortega was. It didn't matter that he didn't get a tune-up fight; he didn't need one. He hasn't been gone for 22 months, he's been preparing for 22 months, and now he's better than ever.Brian Ortega and The Korean Zombie will clash in the UFC Fight Island 6 main event Saturday night. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
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This is the UFC Fight Island 6 live blog for Brian Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie, the featherweight headliner for Saturday’s fight card on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
Ortega returns to the octagon after the first competitive setback of his professional career, a failed bid for the featherweight title in December 2018 against then-champ Max Holloway. Ortega took a tremendous amount of damage before the bout was stopped at the conclusion of the fourth round, and he took an extended hiatus from the sport to rest, recover and rebuild his team. He was scheduled to fight
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