What martial art does Korean Zombie use in the UFC?

Historically speaking, South Korea is still a relatively new country in the big scheme of things. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s lacking in the way of martial artists. Perhaps the most famous South Korean martial artist and MMA fighter is Jung Chan-sung. Whilst this name may not be too familiar to some, he is best known for his nickname, Korean Zombie.

Not only does Chan-sung have one of the coolest nicknames in MMA, but he’s also a very talented fighter. You’d expect this though after a lifetime of practicing martial arts. In this article, we shall analyze the martial arts that are used by Korean Zombie when fighting. Even though he trains some pretty standard martial arts, he also does some unusual styles too.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

When it comes to fighting on the ground, Korean Zombie is highly skilled and has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In fact, he was the first ever person in the UFC to ever land a twister submission. This is done from the back when the opponent clears a hook. Here, Korean Zombie adjusted his upper body grips and twisted on the neck of his Leonard Garcia which got a tap in the dying seconds. Had his Garcia not tapped, then he could have literally broken his neck or spine.

Elsewhere, Korean Zombie has also enjoyed submissions wins against the likes of Dustin Poirier and others, using a combination of triangles, rear naked chokes, and armbars. It’s not just his submissions though, he’s also good at controlling his opponents, passing them, and sweeping them too.

Hapkido

Unsurprisingly, Korean Zombie is also a third black belt in Hapkido. This is because Hapkido is a popular Korean martial art that also translates well to MMA. Basically, Hapkido uses all sorts of techniques and martial arts taken from other disciplines. For example, it often involves stuff like kickboxing, Judo takedowns, and submissions.

What’s unusual about Hapkido is that it’s sometimes too broad and some gyms teach poor moves. However, some are brilliant and undoubtedly, this is the case with Korean Zombie. It’s very possible that his MMA training was under the name of Hapkido in his earlier days, so in this case, Hapkido probably served him well when fighting.

Taekwondo

Another martial art from Korea is Taekwondo which is big on kicks. Taekwondo teaches all sorts of kicks that are as flashy as they are effective. So, if you see Korean Zombie kicking people in the head then don’t be surprised. Although Taekwondo isn’t always used in MMA, it has the ability to knock someone out instantly.

These days, there aren’t too many Taekwondo specialists in MMA. Nonetheless, it offers something a bit different from the norm and maybe one of the reasons why Korean Zombie is such an enjoyable fighter to watch. Currently, Korean Zombie is a second degree black belt in TKD, which means it’s crucial that his opponents respect his high kicks.

Wrestling & Boxing

Although you can’t get belts in these two disciplines – it’s fair to say that Jung Chan-sung knows them quite well. For instance, all high-level UFC fighters these days have to be well versed in boxing and wrestling. This makes sense too, seeing as you need to be able to wrestle to take people to the ground. Without this, Korean Zombie wouldn’t be able to implement his BJJ game, so it’s imperative that he knows how to grapple whilst standing.

Whilst on the feet, he can’t just rely on his Taekwondo either and needs to mix it up at times too. As TKD is so reliant on kicks, it also makes sense to add punches in the way of boxing. This isn’t just offensive either, as the footwork of boxing can be used from a defensive perspective to avoid strikes.

Why is Jung Chan-sung called The Korean Zombie?

The nickname Korean Zombie was given to Jung Chan-sung as a compliment to his heart and determination during fights. Basically, even after he took big blows and heavy punches, he would still fight on as if nothing happened, keeping his gritty mentality until the very end. In short, this name recognizes his forward-fighting style which he never looks to defend. Other MMA fighters such as Nate Diaz have also fought using this style where they keep pressing forward, regardless of whether it’s in their best interest or not.

This is kind of like how a zombie behaves. You can physically beat up a zombie, but so long as they’re not completely dead, they will always keep coming back and trying to defeat you. As you can imagine, this is a good style to have when fighting and always puts your opponents on edge.

Conclusion

Looking back at the history of Korean Zombie, you can see why he’s had UFC title shots and has ranked so highly within their MMA rankings. It’s not easy to get a black belt in three different martial arts which shows that he’s a true martial artist. These combine nicely, as he can use his Taekwondo skills whilst standing and mix it up with BJJ ground fighting techniques when it goes to the ground.

In conclusion, Korean Zombie isn’t just an exciting fighter – he’s also a very well-rounded martial artist who is not to be messed with. Having said this, if you want to watch someone who is the definition of a stylish fighter, then he is the man. Throughout history, very few fighters have entertained such as the Korean Zombie.