Korean Zombie welcoming a “brawl” against Dan Ige, knows a loss ends his time as a title contender

Korean Zombie knows his UFC Vegas 29 main event against Dan Ige is do-or-die for his time as a featherweight title contender.

Zombie enters the fight coming off a loss to Brian Ortega on Fight Island in October. Had he won, he likely could’ve gotten a title shot but instead, he will face Ige. According to Korean Zombie, he says he didn’t know who the Hawaiian was until he fought Calvin Kattar but he’s expecting a brawl on Saturday.

“Dan’s a brawler. If he wants to brawl, I’ll more than welcome that kind of fight,” Korean Zombie said at media day. “I thought a lot of people were saying that about Ortega, too, that he was going to brawl with me. I was ready for that and it never happened. So, we’ll see what happens.”

Although Korean Zombie is expecting a brawl on Saturday, he knows this main event is huge for his career. He’s currently ranked fourth at featherweight and is 34-years-old. If he loses back-to-back fights, the fan-favorite believes it likely would signal the end of his time as a legit top-five featherweight and as a title contender.

“I definitely look at the rankings. I still believe I’m in title contention, and my goal is to win a world title,” Korean Zombie said. “If for some what-odd reason that I do lose this fight, then maybe I will be kind of an exciting fighter.”

He has proven himself as a top-five guy and someone who is only a win or two away from a title shot. Yet, there is no question Zombie will need to win his fight against Ige to remain in that position.

Prior to the setback against Ortega, Korean Zombie was on a two-fight winning streak where he scored first-round knockout wins over Frankie Edgar and Renato Moicano. In the fight before, he was dominating Yair Rodriguez until the last second when he was knocked out by an elbow.