Coach: “If Korean Zombie can hit Brian Ortega a third of what Max did, Zombie is going to put him away”

Korean Zombie’s striking coach, Eddie Cha, is confident his pupil will be able to knock Brian Ortega out.

In the main event of UFC Fight Island 6, Zombie and Ortega will finally settle their differences after months of trash talk. It is a highly-anticipated fight and one even Cha is excited to watch.

“Super excited about the fight. We prepared for him already before he pulled out and it got switched to Edgar,” Cha said to BJPENN.com. “The quarantine actually helped us. We watched a lot of tape on Ortega and I think it will be a great fight. Ortega is a game opponent but Zombie has been knocking everyone out as of late.”

The fight will also be the first time Ortega fights since his loss to Max Holloway in December of 2018. Given Ortega has not fought in nearly two years, Cha admits it is hard to prepare for him.

Instead, the team decided to solely focus on making Korean Zombie a better fighter and not worrying about what Ortega is doing.

“That is all you can do, you just look at the footage. I know he switched camps so we are just focused on Korean Zombie,” Cha explained. “His jiu-jitsu is awesome, wants the guillotine. We are just working on Zombie’s range and footwork just like we have been in the past two fights since we started working with him. He is now starting to set traps, he put on weight, and is a much better fighter.”

Entering the scrap, the common belief is Ortega has the better jiu-jitsu with Korean Zombie being the better striker. Yet, Cha and the coaching staff remain confident they will be able to keep the fight standing and piece up Ortega.

Cha also knows there is a much bigger advantage for Korean Zombie on the feet than Ortega’s advantage on the ground.

“I don’t know if we can match Ortega’s, but it is an MMA fight. It is hard to do jiu-jitsu when you have been kicked, elbowed, kneed,” he said. “People are talking about how much better of a grappler Ortega is, but people don’t mention how there is a massive difference striking.”

Ultimately, Eddie Cha is confident Korean Zombie will keep his knockout streak going and earn the next crack at the belt.

“I think Zombie hits a lot harder than Max and Zombie is a great counter fighter. He lands the punches you don’t see and Max hit him a ton,” Cha concluded. “If Korean Zombie can hit Brian Ortega a third of what Max did, Zombie is going to put him away. Ortega is super tough and has a chin, and we will see how the time off benefited him.”

Do you think Korean Zombie will finish Brian Ortega as Eddie Cha thinks?