UFC: ‘Korean Zombie’ Opens Up On His Plans For 2021

With a tough 2020 behind him, ‘The Korean Zombie’s’ plan for 2021 is to return back to winning ways.

‘The Korean Zombie’ fought Brian Ortega last October at UFC Fight Island 6, losing the fight via unanimous decision. Not only was the main event for the number one contender spot in the UFC’s featherweight division, but there was also bad blood going into it after the two had been going back and forth for almost a year. The rivalry came to a head when ‘T-City’ had a physical altercation with Chan Sung Jung’s close friend Jay Park at UFC 248.

High Pressure Fight

Speaking to Sport TV News in Korea, ‘The Korean Zombie’ revealed that he was under a lot of pressure going into the fight with Ortega, but acknowledged that it was the same for his opponent.

“It was true that there was a lot of pressure at the time, and it would have been the same for Ortega,” ‘The Korean Zombie’ said. “Now, it’s been a long time since the fight. I’m just waiting for my next fight. In the aftermath of COVID-19, a group ban was issued, so martial arts training was not possible. Fortunately, I can do personal exercises in the gym, so I’ve mainly been working on weight training.”

Zabit Magomedsharipov

Coming into the new year, ‘The Korean Zombie’ has let bygones be bygones, and is looking at potential opponents for the year ahead, including Zabit Magomedsharipov.

“I’ve been in competitions and fights for a long time. I already know how to fight tall fighters [like Zabit],” ‘The Korean Zombie’ insisted. “Strategies and things like this should be discussed with the various coaches of the ‘Fight Ready’ team.

“This is a fight that would bring the fans to their feet. [He] and I are both entertainers and extremely competitive, so I think he’d like to step in the Octagon with me. A win for both of us would mean a lot for our careers, and it would be an amazing fight. The ball is in Zabit’s court; I want this fight to kick off 2021.”

Timeline For Fight

Ideally, ‘The Korean Zombie’ would like to fight as soon as possible, but eyes April for his return as the UFC is still looking for his next opponent.

“I want to fight in April,” ‘The Korean Zombie’ said. “If I fight against any opponent, I can fight in January, but it seems that UFC is trying to match the opponent. So I am waiting for [a contract].”

While a title shot is the ultimate goal for any contender, ‘The Korean Zombie’ wants to focus solely on winning in 2021.

“I’m not thinking about the title yet. I’m just thinking about winning my upcoming fight, that’s my priority,” the 33 year old shared. “I think I will fight more than twice this year. First, the goal is to win all my fights.”

The UFC is targeting a featherweight title fight between Alex Volkanovski and Ortega in the UFC 260 co-main event on March 27th. And with Max Holloway putting on a show against Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Island 7 this past weekend, beating him via a comfortable unanimous decision, ‘Blessed’ put himself in a strong position to challenge the winner for the belt.

Would you be interested in a fight between ‘The Korean Zombie’ and Zabit Magomedsharipov?

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