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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Farah Hannoun

Dan Ige vows to come back stronger from Chan Sung Jung loss: ‘I truly believe I can still be a champion’

Despite falling short against Chan Sung Jung, Dan Ige hasn’t given up on his championship aspirations.

Ige (15-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) dropped a unanimous decision to “The Korean Zombie” in the main event of UFC on ESPN 25 on Saturday. He found early success on the feet, but ultimately was outmatched on the canvas.

The 29-year-old will go back to the drawing board following his loss to Jung (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC), but is confident he can make the necessary adjustments to help propel him to the upper echelon of the featherweight division.

“I went out there I fought my best,” Ige said in his post-fight interview in the cage. “I came in at my absolute best. I have no excuses. The ‘Zombie’ is an absolute legend. I’ve been watching this guy since I graduated from high school. I was watching him from the WEC days to here now in the UFC, and he’s still one of the best in the world – and that’s all I want. I want to test myself against the absolute best in the world. I truly believe I can still be a champion. I just have little small things to work on. I’ll be back better and stronger.”

A marked-up Ige took to Instagram just hours after his fight and appears to be in good spirits.

“Love you all. I’ll be back. God is good.”

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