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10 Days After UFC Retirement, the Korean Zombie Makes a Heart-Breaking Revelation to His Fans: “When Max Holloway Was Helping Me Up”

Published 09/05/2023, 12:31 PM EDT

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Chan Sung Jung bowed out of the UFC after he dropped the fight against Max Holloway at UFC Singapore. The emotional moment gripped the fans, and the decision of the UFC to play ‘Zombie’ while he walked out once last time struck cords with them. ‘The Korean Zombie’ thus had the perfect retirement. Despite losing the fight, he looked sharp and at the peak of his fitness levels. However, there was more to his decision than a loss.

The Korean fighter gave the fans a vintage display of violence as he exchanged blow after blow. But ‘Blessed’ caught him lacking and flatlined him. Overwhelmed by what followed next, he reconsidered his dream of fighting his last bout in South Korea.

The moment that made The Korean Zombie realize his fighting career was over

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In a YouTube video, the 36-year-old expressed that he always wanted to have his last fight in his country. He never lost that belief, even after losing the title fight against Alexander Volkanovski. “The funny thing is, after this fight, I remember every single second of this fight. Every moment, I was knocked down,” he declared.

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Following this, the former UFC fighter pointed out the instances in which he was dropped to the mat. With each instance, he wondered what made him drop to the canvas. But when he hit the canvas in the third round, it was all over. The doctors rushed in, and the Hawaiian fighter helped him get up. This was the time the former featherweight fighter realized the time was ripe to call it quits on his career.

‘The Korean Zombie’ continued, “When I was knocked down for the first time during the second round, I remember thinking, ‘What did I get hit by?’ During the third, when the fight was over, I quickly came back. But the ref stopped the fight, so I remember thinking, ‘The fight’s over.’”

“At that moment, when Max was helping me up, that is when I clearly realized that it was time for me to go,” he added. A loss didn’t mean his MMA techniques were diminishing. Rather, his chin wasn’t the same anymore. The very ability that earned him his iconic nickname wasn’t the same anymore.

Chan Sung Jung’s weakening chin and durability added to his woes

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Narrating the crucial junctures of the fight, the 17-8 record holder mentioned he wobbled in the first round and was knocked down in the second. He specified that the punches he took shouldn’t have wobbled or knocked him down.

via Getty

Therefore, he concluded his chin and durability didn’t match up to when he was 23. This factor, along with the visuals of Hollowing helping him, made him rethink his desire to fight before his home crowd. And he eventually pulled the curtains on his career.

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What do you make of these comments by Chan Sung Jung? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Rohit Lohan

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Rohit Lohan is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports, with a passion for the sport that has spanned over a decade. His fascination with MMA stems from the thrill of knockouts, and he strives to bring that same level of excitement to his writing. Rohit's love for gripping stories is reflected in his articles, where he masterfully weaves together the latest news with compelling narratives.
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Edited by:

Abhishek Das