At long last, Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung will have the chance to share the octagon and resolve their differences.
Ortega (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and Jung (15-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) are expected to fight on the UFC’s Oct. 17 event, which does not have a confirmed location but is expected to take place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. ESPN has reported the fight will headline the card.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Tuesday following a recent report from Milenio.
Ortega, 29, has not competed since his UFC 231 main event loss to then-featherweight champion Max Holloway in December 2018. The contest was halted in between the fourth and fifth rounds after Ortega had absorbed a tremendous amount of damage.
Prior to the Holloway fight, Ortega finished six straight opponents, including the likes of former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and former WEC title challenger Cub Swanson.
Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie,” is coming off a pair of first-round knockout wins over former UFC champ Frankie Edgar and Renato Moicano. The South Korean has competed just four times since he got a crack at former champ Jose Aldo’s title in August 2013, partially due to a hiatus caused by mandatory military service in his home country.
The original plan called for Ortega and Jung to meet at UFC on ESPN+ 23 in December, but Ortega suffered a torn ACL that forced him out of the fight.
Tensions between the two sides has only grown since, with Ortega getting into a physical altercation with Jung’s friend, Korean pop star Jay Park, earlier this year at UFC 248. Ortega eventually apologized for his actions, with Jung and Park accepting, but Jung vowed to make Ortega pay when they eventually met in the octagon. Now they have the chance.
The latest lineup for UFC’s Oct. 17 card includes:
Brian Ortega vs. Chan Sung Jung
Krzysztof Jotko vs. Makhmud Muradov
Poliana Botelho vs. Gillian Robertson
Jimmy Crute vs. Modestas Bukauskas
Brian Ortega vs. 'Korean Zombie' slated to headline UFC event on Oct. 17