LAS VEGAS – Dan Ige intends to give the world exactly what it wants in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 25 main event with Chan Sung Jung.
Jung (16-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC), better known as “The Korean Zombie” has a reputation as one of the most entertaining fighters in UFC history. His eight fight-night bonuses in nine octagon appearances prove as much, so there are high expectations when he gets in the cage, regardless of the opponent.
The opponent this time is Ige (15-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC), and he’s not trying to evade the reality of what’s likely to come his way when he come face-to-face with Jung in their headliner at the UFC Apex, which streams on ESPN+.
“He’s the self-proclaimed best brawler in the world,” Ige told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 25 media day I’m going to go in there and hit him and hit him first and we’ll see what happens. I will engage with him and he’s going to engage with me. There’s no surprise there. We’ll see what happens Saturday night.”
Ige thinks he has the attributes to not only survive in the type of fight Jung usually thrives in, but he can do it better. He wants to beat the former UFC title challenger at his own game, and as a result take a massive leap forward in the 145-pound pecking order.
Right now, things are a bit slow-moving at the top of the division, with the title not having been defended since July. Some big fights are on tap, though, and Ige said it’s his responsibility to send a message to the champion and fellow contenders about where he fits.
“You have Max Holloway fighting for Yair Rodriguez and you have Brian Ortega challenging (Alexander) Volkanovski for the title,” Ige said. “Then you have myself and ‘Korean Zombie.’ He’s No. 4 in the world, so a big win over the ‘Zombie’ puts me in the mix. The good thing is I’m the first one up, so I have to go out there and set the standard, I have to set the bar. I have to show and prove that I am a contender and I guess you have to see how these other fights play out.”
To hear more from Ige ahead of UFC on ESPN 25, check out his complete media day interview below:
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