White: Brian Ortega vs. Korean Zombie targeted, winner receives title shot
Brian Ortega vs. Korean Zombie will be happening very soon and the winner will receive a title shot, according to UFC president, Dana White.
Ortega and Zombie were expected to headline UFC Busan last December but “T-City” was forced to pull out due to a torn ACL. Frankie Edgar then stepped up on short notice where Zombie won by first-round TKO.
Since then, the two have had a rivalry for a while and at UFC 248, the American slapped Zombie’s friend a pop star, Jay Park. It immediately sparked the attention of the MMA world and the two are now expected to fight in the near future.
“Ortega and The Korean Zombie are gonna fight. You know how I just went out and said (the Tony) Ferguson fight against (Justin) Gaethje, I said, I absolutely, positively guarantee you that this fight will be great,” White revealed on SportsCenter. “That’s the same thing with Brian Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie, there’s no way this fight is boring. And the guy that comes out of that fight would be next in line for a title shot.”
Brin Ortega has not fought since he suffered a doctor stoppage loss to Max Holloway for the belt at UFC 231. It was his first loss as a pro and since then have been dealing with injuries. He has notable wins over Edgar, Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano, and Clay Guida.
Korean Zombie, meanwhile, is on a two-fight winning streak after first-round finishes over Edgar and Moicano. He returned to the sport after his mandatory military service where he suffered a last-second knockout loss to Yair Rodriguez. Zombie has been dealing with an eye injury but has said he will be ready to return in the summer.
White also revealed the plan is to have Alexander Volkanovski rematch Max Holloway and the winner of Ortega-Zombie fight the winner of that fight. With those fights happening, perhaps we see Zabit Magomedsharipov battle Yair Rodriguez.
