Jung Chan-sung of Korea, right, strikes Dustin Poirier of the U.S. with his right leg during the UFC main event at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. Jung won the game in the fourth rund with choke hold submission. / Courtesy of UFC

By Jung Min-ho

Jung Chan-sung, also known as “Korean Zombie” took a step toward the championship belt, clobbering Dustin Poirier in Wednesday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) main event at the Patriot Center in Fairfax Va.

“He got me in trouble at the beginning of the third round,” Jung said. “The thought of (losing) was in my head, but I just kept fighting, and I won.”

The featherweight bout ended 1:07 minutes into the penultimate round when Jung locked Poirier into a choke hold following a right uppercut and flying knee strike which left the 24-year-old American stunned. The referee stopped the match in the fourth after Poirier fell unconscious in what many are calling one of the bouts of the year.

The encounter kicked into gear as soon as the fight started. Jung caught a kick and tripped Poirier near the cage and struck him with an elbow. Jung maintained his dominance in the second round, again catching a kick and landing a huge elbow on the takedown, making constant submission attempts including triangle chokes. The American fighter tried to be more aggressive in the third and a succession of blows sees him win the round. However, the Korean managed to avoid a knockout blow and was able to employ the submission move which led to his victory.

Along with an impressive win against Canadian Mark Hominick, which was over in seven seconds last December, Jung has left an indelible mark on UFC.

The result could see Jung in contention for a title shot against Brazilian Jose Aldo, who has three wins and no losses since his UFC debut on April 30, 2011. In an eight-year-old mixed martial arts career outside UFC, Aldo has only lost once, to Luciano Azevedo on Nov. 26, 2005.

“I want Jose Aldo,” Jung said shortly after the bout.

On the same card, another Korean fighter, Yang Dong-I, took on American Brad Tavares but lost by unanimous decision after three sluggish rounds. The result calls into question Yang’s future in UFC as he has an unimpressive record of one win and three defeats.