With the title out of mind, Chan Sung Jung just wants two wins in 2021

“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung was on the cusp of a title shot heading into his highly anticipated clash with Brian Ortega. Now he’s back to square one.

Jung’s first and only crack at UFC gold came in 2014 when he took on Jose Aldo at UFC 163. Unfortunately for one of Korea’s finest, a dislocated shoulder spelled his demise in round four. After that, Jung did his service in the Korean army before returning to MMA in 2017.

Going 1-1 in his first two fights back, Jung would then rattle off back-to-back first-round knockouts of Renato “Moicano” Carneiro and former lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar. To round out 2020, “Zombie” competed in a fan’s dream matchup with the aforementioned Ortega.

Coming in off a layoff of his own, a reinvented Ortega would outstrike the generally formidable striker in Jung en route to a unanimous decision. Now, the Fight Ready representative is regrouping.

“I want to fight in April,” Chan Sung Jung said in an interview with Connectivity via Spotvnews. “If I play against any opponent, I can fight in January, but it seems that UFC is trying to match the opponent. So I am waiting for [contact].

“I’m not thinking about the champion [or getting a title shot] yet. I think first winning the upcoming fight will be the priority. I think I will play more than two games this year. First of all, the goal is to win both games.”

Regarding who could possibly be next for Chan Sung Jung, that remains to be determined. With the mention of Russia’s Zabit Magomedsharipov floating around, Jung believes that he historically does well against tall opponents. In that hypothetical matchup, Magomedsharipov would have the advantage in height as he’s 6-foot-1 to Jung’s 5-foot-7.

No matter what happens next with Jung, the featherweight division is more exciting with him in it.