Max Holloway further underlined his status as a UFC legend after claiming a knockout triumph over cult hero Jung Chan-sung – better known as ‘The Korean Zombie’ – in the featherweight main event of a Fight Night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday.
‘Blessed’ started cautiously but was the dominant force by the end of Round 1, with his superior striking accuracy rocking Jung.
Round 2 opened with Holloway dropping his opponent with a super right hand, before attempting a brabo choke that Jung somehow wriggled free of.
By Round 3 it appeared that ‘The Korean Zombie’ was living on borrowed time and Holloway duly landed a surgical overhand right – in the midst of a Jung flurry – to knock out his opponent clean and take his career record to 25-7.
MAX HOLLOWAY KNOCKS OUT THE KOREAN ZOMBIE #UFCSingapore pic.twitter.com/RO3iQzPer5
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) August 26, 2023
“Let's give it up for Zombie. This man's a f****** legend,” said Holloway after the fight, before going on to implore for charitable donations to his homeland of Hawaii, which has been devastated by wildfires in recent weeks.
Jung, meanwhile, suggested his MMA career may be at an end: “I'm going to stop fighting,” he said via an interpreter.
“I've always aimed to be a champion, I'm not here to just be ranked third, fourth, or fifth. I trained hard for Max Holloway, I really thought I could beat him. But I really think I'm going to stop fighting now.”
The rest of the main card featured a split decision victory for Anthony Smith over Ryan Spann in the light heavyweight co-main event; Giga Chikadze claimed a unanimous decision win over Alex Caceres in the featherweight category; Rinya Nakamura outpointed Fernie Garcia in the bantamweight division; Erin Blanchfield secured a unanimous decision triumph over Taila Santos in a women’s flyweight fight; and Junior Tafa made quick work of Parker Porter with a first-round knockout in their heavyweight opener.
The UFC continues on 2 September with a Fight Night at the Accor Arena in Paris, France, headlined by a heavyweight bout between Ciryl Gane and Sergey Spivak.
UFC Fight Night: Holloway v Korean Zombie – Main card results
Main event: Featherweight: Max Holloway def. Jung Chan-sung via KO (punch), R3, 0:23
Light heavyweight: Anthony Smith def. Ryan Spann via split decision (28-29 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00
Featherweight: Giga Chikadze def. Alex Caceres via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27), R3, 5:00
Bantamweight: Rinya Nakamura def. Fernie Garcia via unanimous decision (30-26 30-27 30-27), R3, 5:00
Women’s flyweight: Erin Blanchfield def. Taila Santos via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00
Heavyweight: Junior Tafa def. Parker Porter via KO (punch), R1, 1:24