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The combat world faced many highs and lows in the past week. A rollercoaster of emotions; moments; and legacy. From a life taken too soon, to an unforgettable career that wrote it's last sentence, capped off with a hero showing strength and victory in dire times.
Sports brings us together. They bring us together in many fashions. Sports brings us together to cry; to celebrate; to have unity, and in the best fashion, they bring us together to forget about the negative moments in life.
We had events all across the globe this weekend. London's Wembley Stadium had one of the highest attended wrestling events off all-time, that helped cap off a rollercoaster of a week for the wrestling world. The greatness that transpired at UFC Singapore took things to another level. The main-event in particular, played your heart strings like a puppet. Two fighters, two stories. A home-continent hero bidding an emotional farewell & an island hero steppin' up for his people to show grit; strength; and positivity when they need it the most. Pure chills.
As you know, Hawaii was struck by a collection of devastating wildfires that have turned into one of the worst natural disasters in American history. The incident struck the Lahaina area really bad, killing over 100 people with over a thousand residents still missing. It has been very difficult times for those in Hawaii and those with loved ones affected by the aftermath of the fires.
Max Holloway has always put the state of Hawaii on his back and in his heart. Holloway has helped raise resources & money for those in Hawaii and continues to help as everyone is cleaning and picking themselves up from the disaster. Being a face for Hawaii in the fight game, Max knew he had to use that as a way to show more love for his people on the islands. Holloway traveled to Singapore to fight in the main-event against The Korean Zombie- dedicating his fight to those in Hawaii. Max spoke some great words & expressed his feelings for Hawaii explaining his walkout decision:
Such a humble individual, the walk-out was spectacular. Holloway came out soarin' the Hawaii state flag, bringin' the fighting spirit of the islands to Singapore. The Blessed welcomed a war from the get go, going on to give a classic performance, in honor of his homeland.
Holloway and Chan Sung Jung went toe-to-toe from the first second of the fight until the last. Max was stellar, but Zombie kept things tight until walking into a right jab in the early moments of the second round, droppin' him into a cradle. Max, being the humble and respected warrior that he is, opted not to rain down hammer punches as he read the Zombie's body movement as possibly being finished. Pure class. The Zombie doesn't die easily, he survived the strike and survived a very deep submission in a LOUD sequence:
Unreal survival by the Zombie, takin' the roof off the place and havin' those at home across the globe inches away from the telly. It was in the third round when the fighters decided to just throw caution to the wind and start blasting away at each other with nuclear forced punches. Max didn't even have time to do his trademark, point down, to give the invitation. Zombie must have came to a decision on the stool after the second & decided to say F it, as he charged forward like a mad-man towards Max. Zombie LITERALLY went out on his shield, falling on his sword in a glorious moment:
A gorgeous knockout to cap off a beautiful dedication to those in Hawaii. Max Holloway is now 18-0 in the UFC's featherweight division against fighters not named Alex Volkanovski. A beautiful performance, a performance that came at a cost for fight fans. Take your flowers, Max. Again, you deserve them & here is to those who have suffered from the disaster in the Lahaina area and across the islands. Now allow me to give someone else their flowers.
The Korean Zombie has been laid to rest.
In one of the most emotional farewells seen in the Octagon: Chan Sung Jung, better known as The Korean Zombie, has retired from MMA competition leaving behind a reputation as one of the most beloved and respected fighters in MMA history.
The emotions ran rapid the moment he entered the stage in Singapore. Jung walked out to The Cranberries' "Zombie", creating epic scenes. Feel the chords:
Jung went out the only way The Korean Zombie would go out- on his shield. The career for Jung, was special despite not reaching his goal of UFC gold. His UFC run started with arguably his most prolific win, a rare twister subby dub over Leonard Garcia that was the first of it's kind in the UFC. There has now only been two other twister subs in UFC history. Electric submission attack mixed with electric striking, The Korean Zombie was always a joy to watch perform.
TKZ's hot UFC start led him to a clash for title gold against Jose Aldo. Unfortunately, he came up short, and injured his shoulder in the fight. Jung then had to serve mandatory military service duties in his native South Korea, forcing him out for two years.
The Zombie had just under a 4 year hiatus from the Octagon in the middle of his prime, before returning in 2017 to a KO finish over Dennis Bermudez. Who knows how is career would have went if he didn't have the large absence. Jung's career was still special, one that won't be forgotten. Out of his twelve UFC fights, only two had went the distance. Only 6 decisions in his 25-fight career. The Zombie lived up to his name, and was a surefire guy to lite the Octagon on fire with his hard-nosed action and gritty demeanor. The MMA world is going to miss him.
At 36, The Zombie ran into the division's gate-keeper, and felt his aspirations for title gold was now dust:
His words are tough to read. He sounds demoralized as if he failed. TKZ may have come up short on winning a world championship, but his sacrifices across his journey were worth it. The Korean Zombie is a figure that will go down in stone as a pioneer of the sport, especially across Asia. His career is admirable. His work ethic; passion; and grit is admirable. Fight fans will NEVER forget The Korean Zombie. UFC recognized it, and gave Jung the best send off possible:
I get chills down my body every time I watch it. The broadcast going mute and allowing the chords of Zombie to be sang across the masses as TKZ says his goodbye to the Octagon was just incredible to experience. If you for whatever reason didn't watch the clip in it's entirety- go back and start it from the 1:50 mark. Listen to those chords and feel the energy of respect and love. Beautiful scenes. To see Chan's emotions after feeling how loved his career was, to see his smile on his face in that moment- was awesome to see. TKZ earned that ovation, he had earned that send-off. Bravo, UFC.
Take your flowers, Zombie. The combat world thanks you. We thank you for your dedication to competition. Your dedication to entertainment. Oh, and of course your dedication to violence. The Korean Zombie is forever, farewell.
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