The “Korean Zombie” Rises Again
Over the past 10 years, Korea has become highly competitive, if not dominant, in many areas of the world: with cars, flat screen TVs, and mobile phones, as well as in sports like soccer, women’s golf, and men’s speed skating. So it shouldn’t be any surprise that Koreans are starting to exert influence in the area of mixed martial arts.
In 1993, a mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament called the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was launched to determine what was the best of the martial arts (Judo, Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Jujitsu, Karate, etc.), and which was the best style of fighting (kick boxing, wrestling, or boxing). At first, it was very low-brow and reminiscent of Roman gladiatorial battles with rabid plebeian crowds cheering for blood. And because the fights were unregulated and in a cage-ring, they sometimes ended with a bloody tooth flying out into the front row. U.S. Senator from Arizona John McCain referred to the caged fights as “human cockfighting”. But in 2001, the UFC was acquired by the Fertitta brothers, who, with Dana White, tossed away the UFC’s back alley image by adding weight classes, ring doctors, new fighting rules, and a reality TV show called TUF. They even brought martial arts fighters in from many countries – including countries like South Korea – to compete before a worldwide audience.
Currently, the two top fighters in the UFC of interest to Koreans (and many Americans) are Korean-American Benson Henderson, who now holds the lightweight title belt, and the increasingly popular Korean featherweight contender Jung Chan-sung, a.k.a. the “Korean Zombie”.
Ben Henderson was born in 1983 in the USA to a Korean-American mother and African-American father. He was raised in Washington state and graduated from Dana College, Nebraska in 2006 with degrees in Sociology and Criminal Justice. While attending Dana College, he was twice honored as wrestling NAIA All-American. Now at age 28, with a background in Taekwondo, wrestling, and Jujitsu, he has amassed an impressive 16-2 MMA record. In 2010, when World Extreme Cage fighting (WEC) merged with the UFC, all the fighters were transferred, including Henderson, to the UFC. He fought and won in April 2011 at UFC 129. A few months later, he beat Jim Miller in a dominating unanimous decision. Then in November of 2011, he won a hard-fought battle against the wild-haired Clay Guida and earned ‘Fight of the Night’ honors, which brings a $50,000 bonus. Like a high speed train, Henderson kept rushing ahead and won the Lightweight Title Belt when he defeated Frankie Edgar in a unanimous decision on February 25, 2012. Now, a much anticipated rematch is scheduled for UFC 150 on August 11, 2012. Ben Henderson is currently ranked as the number one lightweight fighter in the world by Sherdog.com, and both Korea and America can be proud of him.
With Zombies all the rage, it’s no wonder Jung Chan-sung has become a fan favorite in the USA. He was born in Pohang in 1987 and later moved to Namyangju near Seoul. Because he was small and from a rural community, he was frequently bullied by his schoolmates. In order to help him survive, his aunt enrolled him in Hapkido classes. Eventually he got tough, and at age 20, he won his first lightweight tournament organized by Pancrase Korea. A year later, in 2008, he won two fights for a Japanese promotion DEEP. And just like Ben Henderson, when the UFC acquired WEC in 2010, they also picked up Jung. His first fight for the UFC in March 2011 put him on the map when he executed the first ‘twister’ submission (one part lateral neck crank and one part lower body twist) in UFC history against Leonard Garcia. He topped that in December of 2011 at UFC 140 by knocking out his opponent in seven seconds – the fastest in professional MMA history. Several months later, on May 15, 2012, he submitted his next opponent with a D’Arce choke (a move that is similar to strangling one’s opponent like a snake) in the fourth round, which helped earn him both a ‘Submission of the Night’ and ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus. His next fight, yet to be scheduled, will be for the UFC Featherweight Championship, and will most likely be against current title holder Jose Aldo. Jung is currently ranked number four by ESPN in the featherweight division. His nickname, “The Korean Zombie”, comes from his natural Korean toughness and ability to press forward and fight despite taking punches. At 25 years old, he is shaping up to be a great fighter that Korea can take pride in for years to come.