Second for second, there may be no finish in UFC history that was more sudden, shocking, and jaw-dropping than Yair Rodiguez’s literal last-second knockout of “The Korean Zombie”, Chan Sung Jung, last year at UFC Fight Night 139. The timing and the manner in which the knockout occurred simply has yet to be topped in UFC history and may never be replicated. What contributes to the significance of the knockout is the fact that Jung was on his way to victory on all three of the judges’ scorecards prior to Rodriguez’s miracle reverse up-elbow knocked him out.
Chan Sung Jung’s initial public response to the loss was that of shame and embarrassment. But as time has worn on, seven months later, Jung has put that experience behind him, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time, as he will be competing in another main event this Saturday against a dangerous Renato Moicano in the UFC Greenville headliner:
“Post-fight, it was devastating for me, but I came to accept it because everything went according to my plan,” Jung told MMA Junkie about his loss to Rodriguez: “I did gut it out at the end. I pushed it until the end. For athletes, it’s either you win or you lose. It’s the outcome that really matters. The post-fight was a loss for me. Back then I did feel embarrassed, but after a while, it’s more like an accomplishment, I feel. I don’t feel embarrassed anymore.”
It is very difficult to put X’s and O’s to such an improbable and stunning finish, but Jung had a go at it, reflecting on what went wrong and contributed to his demise that fateful November night:
“I was just going to go for (the finish) because it’s my own calling to overcome each and every opponent, so everything else during the fight went according to my plan,” Jung said. “However, except for the last second or so.”
What has particularly helped The Korean Zombie move past the loss is the UFC, specifically Dana White and Sean Shelby, who promised Jung his pick of the featherweight litter after putting on a great performance against a late-notice replacement and suffering such a heartbreaking loss:
“Despite the fact that I lost my previous fight against Yair, my initial reaction to that was appreciation towards Sean and Dana,” Jung said. “Because my opponent changed from Frankie to Yair, Sean and Dana both promised to match me with whichever opponent I wanted. Renato Moicano was one of the people in rankings I wanted to face. I have nothing but appreciation towards them for keeping the promise.”
Do you believe The Korean Zombie will bounce back from his loss to Yair Rodriguez with a victory over Renato Moicano at UFC Greenville?
