I’m a late bloomer when it comes to UFC and MMA in general. The earliest memory I have with UFC is perusing an article about Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell in a Sports Illustrated magazine more than a decade ago. I’m not sure why the sport never stuck with me in my youth, but I was too busy keeping up with all the Philly sports teams. The pain of experiencing perennial first round exits facing those dogged Pistons led by Chauncey, Rip, Rasheed, Big Ben, and Tayshaun followed by years of rebuilding and “trusting the process” that likely will result in another teardown of a dysfunctional roster, the misery of never being able to escape the Eastern Conference Championships with the peculiar duo of McNabb and T.O at the helm of the Eagles, a dash of exuberant celebration bestowed upon to my city by the savior named Nick Foles only to be quickly overshadowed by the subsequent meltdown of a once promising talent, Carson Wentz, a glimpse of sustained winning culture that quickly evaporated after the Phillies’ ‘08 World Series parade… the list goes on and on.
I’ve since stopped keeping up with sports with the same level of fervor but in the waning passion for my Philly sports scene grew an interest for something else. A genuine excitement and love for one particular athlete. Jung Chan-Sung, a.k.a. “The Korean Zombie.” Often referred to as TKZ or KZ, Jung is a now retired, former UFC fighter. TKZ’s career started in Korea in 2007 when he debuted in at the Super Sambo Festival, winning by submission with an arm bar. He went on a tear, proceeding to win his next 8 fights while gradually competing in bigger scenes such as Korea FC (now known as Road FC) and the now defunct, Sengoku Raiden Championship in Japan.
The inflection point in TKZ’s career was when he faced Leonard Garcia in the preliminary card in WEC 48, which was headlined by Aldo vs. Faber. Regarded as one of the greatest promotional debuts in MMA history, the two put on an absolute show, swinging until the very last second in the final round. Although Garcia won by split decision, this was the fight that cemented “The Korean Zombie” moniker for the rising South Korean star. The way Jung would repeatedly charge at his opponent taking blow after blow in the 15-minute slugfest imprinted a distinct, zombie-like fighting style in the memory of his fans. This would be the first of many Fight of the Nights TKZ would accrue in his dynamic career.
TKZ vs. Garcia
UFC Fight Night 24, March 26, 2011
In 2011, about a year after his first bout with Garcia, TKZ avenged his loss successfully in UFC Fight Night 24, submitting Garcia with a twister. To put things into perspective, twisters are the rarest form of submission in MMA. When data was last scraped in 2020 (according to an analysis I found on Reddit), twisters accounted for only 0.17% of all submissions since the inception of UFC. As of today, there have only been 3 twister submissions ever in the history of UFC, and TKZ’s was the very first. It is incredibly difficult to execute and needless to say, he was awarded not only his first Submission of the Night but the Submission of the Year by the World MMA Awards.
In the same year, he faced Mark Hominick in UFC 140. The result was just as stunning as his previous submission. The fight lasted 7 seconds with TKZ downing Hominick with a vicious straight right then delivering a parade of pounding, securing the TKO. At the time, the fight was the second fastest in UFC’s history, which further boosted TKZ’s rise as a title contender.
TKZ vs. Poirier
UFC on Fuel TV 3, May 15, 2012
His winning spree continued, as he racked on another win in his first Main Card debut, submitting Dustin Poirier with a D'Arce choke in UFC on Fuel TV 3. The D’Arce choke is also a rare submission type, representing only about 2% of all submissions in UFC. He was awarded both the Fight of the Night and the Submission of the Night (Dana White who was too ill to attend the fight supposedly called immediately after the fight, ordering both awards to go to TKZ). In the post-fight interview, TKZ explicitly called out Jose Aldo, a move that undeniably solidified his position as a highly probable contender for the coveted title shot.
TKZ vs. Aldo
UFC 163, August 3, 2013
With dramatic and highly entertaining wins in quick succession, TKZ rose to the third rank in his weight division, propelling him to a title fight against Aldo in UFC 163. The fight was close up until round 4, when TKZ dislocated his right shoulder while exchanging strikes with his opponent. He was unable to relocate the shoulder in the cage and Aldo, noticing the injury, landed two kicks in the shoulder area, taking down TKZ in a TKO. With injuries he had sustained thus far in his career and the looming conscription requirement he had to complete in his home country, TKZ decided to step away from the scene for more than three and a half years, closing what many consider as the first chapter of his explosive, unique, and, entertaining career.
To be continued.