Alexander Volkanovski says he will FINISH ‘Korean Zombie’ inside three rounds in UFC title fight

Alexander Volkanovski is not planning on going the distance in his featherweight title fight with Korean Zombie at UFC 273 and plans to knock out his opponent inside three rounds.

Korean Zombie, real name Chan Sung Jung, has put together a 17-6 MMA and 7-3 UFC record and gets his chance to win his first UFC belt against the Australian.

However, Volkanovski (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) has been almost unstoppable for almost a decade and he doesn’t plan on changing that anytime soon.

The duo will meet in the octagon on April 9 in Jacksonville and Volkanovski is brimming with confidence. 

‘I want to finish Zombie and I’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t happen within three rounds,’ Volkanovski said.

‘Which isn’t me trying to hype up the fight. Just as I’m not saying it to prove people wrong.

‘I want to finish Zombie because I know I can. It’s what I now expect of myself.’

Korean Zombie’s teammate and coach Henry Cejudo isn’t short of confidence either. He has lit the fuse for an explosive match-up by saying Volkanovski has ‘no power’ and that Korean Zombie would ‘put him out’.

‘Volkanovski’s greatest gift is his pressure but I’ve also been studying a lot of Volkanovski, I know exactly what he’s going to do in this fight,’ he said.

‘He doesn’t produce any punching power, you know that’s the reason why I like this fight for the Korean Zombie because if he does decide to slug it out with the Zombie, Zombie’s gonna put him out.

‘We got some recipes for him, so we are ready for his kicks, we’re ready for the smoke so by the time April 9 and that Saturday comes about we’re gonna be ready, man.

‘We’re gonna be firing on all cylinders and the Korean Zombie will strike again.’

Korean Zombie has won four of his last six matches by knockout.

Chan Sung Jung, AKA Korean Zombie, will be relying on his power game to take down Australian Volkanowski in their featherweight title fight.

But Volkanovski is confident after being able to link up with his coach and team in the lead-up to the fight. 

As a result of the Covid pandemic, Volkanovski has not been able to travel to New Zealand and work with Adesanya’s City Kickboxing team and head coach Eugene Bareman. 

Recently, however, Bareman brought Carlos Ulberg and Blood Diamond to the converted Windang church that doubles as Volkanovski’s Freestyle Fighting Gym in Australia.

Volkanovski said the opportunity to work face-to-face with Bareman – who boasts a strong friendship with his own head coach Joe Lopez — had him primed for a finish this Sunday.

‘Having that second set of eyes in camp has been great and I get a real confidence from our interactions,’ Volkanovski said.

‘Everyone looks at things differently so it’s always great to pick Eugene’s brain, because these are in-depth conversations not many people can have.

‘It’s also meant I’ve been able to move around with guys I haven’t seen in two years. That’s been really good for me.’

Volkanovski has also released a video of his UFC 273 preparation in Jacksonville, Florida, in which he unwinds by venturing out into the local scrub with his friend, former MMA fighter George Bush.

At one stage the pair unwind by going shooting, both of them hitting targets that explode when struck.

Volkanovski will be hoping for the same result when he gets his hands on the Zombie on Sunday, Australian time.