Chan Sung Jung, also known as ‘The Korean Zombie,’ continues to be praised for his fighting career after officially retiring.
On August 26, the South Korean MMA legend fought Max Holloway in the UFC Singapore main event. Despite his valiant effort, ‘The Korean Zombie’ suffered a third-round knockout loss, pushing his professional MMA record to 17-8.
Shortly after the fight, Chan Sung Jung took off his gloves and announced his retirement. Since then, the MMA community has voiced their respect for the former UFC title challenger.
Earlier this week, ‘The Korean Zombie’ received a tremendous gift to honor his fighting career. The Pohang native went to Instagram and showcased a custom-made championship belt featuring the UFC and WEC logos on the sides.
There’s no doubt that Chan Sung Jung’s contribution to MMA in South Korea is worthy of legendary status. The 36-year-old also continues to influence the next generation as the owner of Korean Zombie MMA, a training gym located in Seoul.
Take a look below at The Korean Zombie’s custom-made championship belt, which was posted on his temporary Instagram story:
The Korean Zombie was gifted this special title with WEC & UFC side plates 🇰🇷🏆
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) September 26, 2023
Looking back at the UFC tenure of The Korean Zombie
Chan Sung Jung made his UFC debut in March 2011 after a two-fight stint in WEC, leading to an overall professional MMA record of 10-3. ‘The Korean Zombie’ quickly became a fan-favorite by securing a twister submission, one of three in promotional history, in his first Octagon appearance.
He followed up his submission of the year candidate with a seven-second knockout against Mark Hominick, the fastest finish in UFC featherweight history.
In May 2012, TKZ submitted Dustin Poirier in the fourth round to earn a title shot against Jose Also. Unfortunately for the South Korean legend, he lost the chance to become a UFC champion due to a fourth-round TKO by Aldo.
Following his title fight loss, Chan Sung Jung was inactive from 2013 to 2017 due to a two-year mandatory military service and injuries.
Once ‘The Korean Zombie returned in February 2017, he continued putting on thrilling fights and racking up electric finishes. He walked away from the Octagon in August of this year with a promotional record of 7-5 and endless respect from diehard MMA fans.
After The Korean Zombie's final gloves were stolen from him at #UFCSingapore, Max Holloway gifted his gloves from the fight to Zombie.
TKZ then donated $20,000 to Maui Food Bank, a cause important to Holloway after the Hawaiian wildfires.
(via @BlessedMMA, @KoreanZombieMMA) pic.twitter.com/PJCcuOJirj
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 23, 2023
