Korean Zombie Likely Out For A Year Following Surgeries

Chan Sung Jung, also known as the Korean Zombie, may be sidelined for up to a year following surgeries to repair a dislocated shoulder and broken orbital bone.

His manager, Brian Rhee, said the timetable for his return depends on the rehab process.

Jung dislocated his shoulder in the fourth round at UFC 163 after he missed a punch. He tried to push it back into the socket, but featherweight champion Jose Aldo took advantage and attacked the injury. Aldo got a TKO stoppage shortly after.

“Yes, I did see that he had separated his shoulder,” Aldo said after the fight. “So I kicked him and I tried to put him down on the ground to get some ground and pound.”

Jung also fractured an orbital bone in his left eye during the fight, and injured his right foot. He had his shoulder looked at by ringside physicians, and it was initially reported that the injury would not require surgery. However, his manager announced Wednesday that he had undergone surgeries to repair both injuries.

Aldo was also injured during the match. After the fight, he said he injured his right foot. Head coach Andre Pederneiras said the injury occurred two minutes into the first round, after Aldo landed a kick on Jung’s knee. An X-ray later confirmed that the foot was broken. He was also suffering from kidney stones. Aldo isn’t expected to fight again this year.

The match against Jose Aldo was the Korean Zombie’s first since May 15, 2012, when he defeated Dustin Poirier by d’arce choke submission at UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier. The match earned Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night. However, Jung had to undergo rotator cuff surgery after the fight, which kept him out of the Octagon for almost 15 months. Now he is facing another long stretch between matches, but is already looking forward to a rematch against Aldo after he recovers.