Korean Zombie Joins The Army, Takes Two Years Off MMA *UPDATE*
Chan Sung Jung pictured twisting the life out of Leonard Garcia…Now we learn The Korean Zombie joins the army of South Korea……
Chan Sung Jung has had a rather unfortunate with injuries as of late, and was last seen competing against Jose Aldo at UFC 163. That was back in August 2013, in a night that saw both men come away with a litany of injuries. “KZ” got finished deep in the fourth round, as Aldo seized the opportunity presented by Jung after he had dislocated his shoulder.
The nasty TKO loss against “Scarface” meant that “The Korean Zombie” needed surgery, meaning his average fights per year went from two, to one, to zero between 2010 and present day. Then came the brief booking against Akira Corassani, that was also halted by an injury from Jung.
Now facing well over a year off from his last UFC fight, it appears that “KZ” has decided to return to combat, but not under the Zuffa banner. Check out the post Jung published to his official Facebook profile today:
“Top UFC fighter Chan Sung Jung, better known as the “Korean Zombie”, will be taking a two year hiatus from his MMA career”
Now that I did not expect. The Korean Zombie joins the army, but will he be seeing any combat? The apparent mandatory enlistment in to his native army probably couldn’t come at a worse time for the embattled veteran, as the featherweight division will move a massive amount in two years.
Many believe that Jose Aldo will soon come to the end of his reign at featherweight, either by defeat or moving up in weight, and “KZ” won’t even be there to contest his place in the line of top contenders. The Republic of Korea’s army is involved in many ongoing conflicts, with thousands of troops deployed, and we here at LowKick with Jung the very best of luck. Could this be the end of “The Korean Zombie” as a UFC fighter?
UPDATE
Jung’s manager Brian Rhee spoke to MMAJunkie to confirm the two-year absence from MMA, but also that he would not be deployed in combat, but in an office job:
“While Jung will become an active member of the South Korean military on Oct. 20, he won’t be required to travel into the field. According to his manager, Jung’s history of injuries prompted officials to assign him to a government office, where he’ll spend the next two years.”
Perhaps this means “KZ” will be able to stay in shape?
