Featherweight MMA legends Max Holloway and Chan Sung Jung, better known as the Korean Zombie faced off in the main event of UFC Singapore.
Each man had significant personal stories as a backdrop to this fight: Holloway entered the cage mere weeks after fires devastated the island of Maui in his home country of Hawaii while for Zombie many thought this would be his retirement fight. Zombie had asked for this fight and Max agreed, but after the brutal beatdown that Alexander Volkanovski put on Jung in his last fight it was predicted to be a lopsided affair. Fans certainly thought Max would win and so did the sportsbooks, with Holloway being more than a seven-to-one favorite going into the bout. His motivation appeared to be at an all-time high as well, as he fought for something bigger than himself, for his people, his land, his culture. The UFC had donated to relief efforts in Hawaii and Max used this fight to promote further donations, constantly shouting out @lahaina_ohana_venmo on Instagram as the best place fans could donate to help those displaced by the tragedy. Max wore red shorts for the first time ever in honor of it.
Zombie came out with a leg kick followed by a body jab. He tried to blitz in several times but Max was able to get out of the way. Max took his time before opening up. When Zombie rushed forward recklessly after landing a good punch and thinking he had Max hurt ninety seconds in, he got caught and staggered. Zombie was able to recover but was put on the back foot. Max kept the pressure on and landed some good strikes though he did not yet open up with his traditionally insane volume. Whenever Zombie threw his right hand he did not bring it back to his chin right away; as a result Holloway’s lead left hook could not miss and it drew a big reaction just about every time. Zombie landed a left hook of his own that made Max’s legs flutter for a moment but Holloway recovered quickly. The first round was competitive but drew to a close as a clear Holloway 10-9.
The second round began with Zombie landing a left hook off of a level change feint. After that Holloway landed a glancing right hand on the temple that dropped Jung to his knees. Max tried to walk it off but Zombie stayed with it and tried to get a takedown. Holloway locked up a tight d’Arce choke which he held onto for a full minute. The referee checked on Zombie’s consciousness but somehow he was still awake. Eventually Max had to let it go and they got back to striking after a failed Zombie takedown attempt. With two minutes left Max swarmed Zombie against the fence after hurting him but as always, Chan Sung Jung fired right back. The wild blitzes of Zombie continued and got him caught more times than they allowed him to hit Holloway. The pair traded good right hands with one minute left; Zombie was still in the fight, but still clearly a step behind. Max landed a round kick to the body and then a spinning back kick too in the final twenty seconds of the round.
The third round started with a Zombie blitz that hurt Max but ‘Blessed’ fired right back and landed himself. Zombie just kept coming, like the monster that is his namesake, but it hurt him more than it helped as he ran right onto a massive right hand from Max Holloway. Chan Sung Jung faceplanted right into the canvas and the fight was stopped immediately.
After the fight Holloway ran to his wife in the crowd to celebrate the emotional win with her, a fellow native Hawaiian. Afterwards he made sure to go back to his opponent, help Zombie to his stool, and give him an embrace, showing the respect these warriors have always shown each other.
In his post-fight interview Max Holloway’s first words were telling the crowd to cheer for the Korean Zombie, who hung around in the cage. He declined to talk about the fight at first, saying, “The only thing on my mind is Lahaina, Hawaii.” He asked for shares and donations to help his people back home.
Michael Bisping then took the microphone to talk to Zombie. Through the translator he said that he was ready to stop fighting now. Zombie appeared to recognize that he could not be champion now, stating his lack of desire to fight if that goal was out of reach. The Singaporean crowd cheered their appreciation for his career as he laid his gloves down in the center of the cage and the stadium played his iconic walkout song, ‘Zombie’ by the Cranberries, for the last time.
Official Result: Max Holloway def. Chan Sung Jung by Knockout (right hook) Round 3, 0:23
