UFC Vegas 29 Results: “The Korean Zombie” Earns Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt After Defeating Dan Ige

19 Jun, 2021

The featherweight main event between Chan Sung Jung (“The Korean Zombie”) and Dan Ige at UFC Vegas 29 was everything fans hoped it would be, with the Zombie appearing nearly indestructible and Ige showing tremendous heart in a fight that spilled lots of blood and went the distance. In the end, Jung was awarded not only with the victory, but also his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Main Event

Chan Sung Jung (The Korean Zombie) vs. Dan Ige

Jung opened with a few jabs and a low kick, and Ige came in with some heavy swings of his own. The fighters exchanged leg kicks, and Jung briefly closed the distance as Ige came in with a big hook. Ige landed an uppercut, but Jung countered by changing levels and taking Ige to the ground. Ige worked in butterfly hooks and then tried to kick Jung away, but Jung was quick to come back on top, working inside Ige’s half-guard. Ige created space and hurried out of the bottom position with about a minute and a half left to go in the first round. As the round wound down, Ige continued to be patient, keeping himself protected and then exploding in with combos, and Jung came in with a solid body kick before the bell rang.

Round two saw Jung knock Ige to the ground immediately with a big right hand, though Ige quickly got back to his feet. Ige caught a leg from the Zombie and caught him off balance. Jung stayed on his feet and landed a strong leg kick that Ige countered with a leg kick of his own. Jung was picking up speed, but Ige was throwing big punches. Another big right hand from Ige hit its mark on Jung’s jaw, and Ige countered with a takedown. Jung worked himself up against the cage, pushing Ige’s arm back and soon breaking free from the clinch with about two minutes left in the round. Jung landed a strong calf kick, and Ige punished him for it with a few punches to the head. Ige closed the distance with the Zombie and pushed him back against the cage, but Jung soon reversed the position and capitalized on a kimura attempt by getting to Ige’s back and locking in a body triangle, landing punches to the head from back control. The round ended before the Zombie could get the chance to finish the fight from there.

Lots of action at the start of round three, with Ige countering a calf kick by pushing Jung back to the cage with a punch combo. Jung fought his way back to the center and took Ige to the canvas, ending up in his closed guard. The Zombie delivered punches from the top, and as Ige tried to roll over to reverse the position, Jung took the back and locked in another body triangle. Ige fought back against Ige’s choke attempts, still ending up on the receiving end of Jung’s strikes. Ige inched his back toward the back as the final minute of the round wound down, with Jung switching his triangle back and forth to maintain control. Ige hung on until the bell, and the fight moved to round four.

Both fighters threw combos at each other to kick off round four, though they were noticeably more cautious at the start. Ige pushed the Zombie to the cage with punches and a kick, then drove him back in the clinch after Jung recovered. Jung moved away from the cage, and Ige picked up the pace, coming after Jung with more aggression and landing a few solid hits in the process. Jung caught a kick and brought Ige to the ground, and Ige threw strikes from guard. Ige briefly trapped a leg, but Jung pulled himself out and finished the round in top side control.

The fifth round of the fight saw both fighters come out swinging, with Ige landing a few big hits to the Zombie’s face and body before Jung charged forward and nearly took the back before Ige took him off. A few more punches between the fighters, and Ige went in for a takedown of his own, trying again and driving the Zombie to the cage after Jung defended against the first attempt. Jung sprawled atop Ige, but Ige was persistent, landing an uppercut to the body before Jung finally broke free. Ige went for another takedown, but Jung sprawled and again got to Ige’s back and locked in the body triangle. Ige tried to trap his opponent’s foot and hand-fought to defend against the choke. Jung couldn’t finish Ige before the bell, but he’d done enough to impress the judges.

The Korean Zombie was declared the winner by unanimous decision. Immediately after the post-fight interview, he was presented with his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.