Skip to content

White declares Ortega vs. 'Korean Zombie' a title eliminator

Woohae Cho / UFC / Getty

The stakes will be higher than expected in Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event.

The winner of Brian Ortega versus Chan Sung Jung will be next in line for a title shot against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, UFC president Dana White confirmed to ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

"It's absolutely a No. 1 contender fight," White said. "First of all, this fight should have happened a long time ago. We're finally here. All the crazy stuff that's happened. Crazy stuff always happens in this sport. 'Zombie' (Jung) versus Ortega. Absolutely, the winner of this fight should be the next title shot."

Ortega was originally scheduled to face "The Korean Zombie" at UFC Busan last December, but the former title challenger withdrew due to a knee injury. Jung ended up fighting Frankie Edgar and won via first-round TKO.

Ortega, who hasn't competed since a stoppage loss to then-champion Max Holloway in December 2018, is ranked No. 2 in the division. Jung has won two straight and sits at No. 4. Their bout will take place at Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The 145-pound weight class is one of the best in the UFC. Zabit Magomedsharipov, Yair Rodriguez, and Calvin Kattar are also in the title picture, but it appears they'll have to secure at least one more win to earn a fight with Volkanovski.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox