As far as three-fight runs go, going twister, seven seconds, and then putting Poirier to sleep is pretty dang good, and it rightfully resulted in Jung landing his first of two championship opportunities.
Following his loss to Aldo, Jung pressed pause on his MMA career to complete his mandatory military service, ultimately being away from the Octagon for well over three years. But when he returned, he picked up right where he left off, waltzing right back into the thick of the title chase in the featherweight division with a first-round knockout win over Dennis Bermudez in a main event the night before the Super Bowl in Houston.
Watch The Korean Zombie Playlist On UFC FIGHT PASS
This is another one of those wins that kind of gets lost to history a little because it was the start of an extended slide for Bermudez, but the former TUF finalist had earned back-to-back wins prior to this contest and nine of 11 dating back to that TUF 14 finale… and Zombie walked in, pressured the entire fight, and slept him with a perfectly placed right uppercut that left Bermudez trying to ankle pick referee Herb Dean before realizing what had happened.
It wasn’t just the wins that made Zombie a superstar and beloved fan favorite — it was the passion you saw pour out of him every time he stepped into the Octagon.
You felt deeply for him when Yair Rodriguez landed that incredible up-elbow on the buzzer to end their five-round battle in Denver several years ago, snatching victory from the jaws of sure defeat, and cheered wildly when he registered consecutive victories after that, showing he still had plenty left to offer.
