Chan Sung Jung conflicted as a BJJ-based brawler

Most fans’ first experience with Chan Sung Jung relates to the frenzied pace of his fight against Leonard Garcia at WEC 48 where the two threw caution to the wind (and wild punches) for the bout’s fifteen minute duration. However, Jung mistakenly gave in to the pressure of following up the performances with something similar and paid the price for it after getting head-kicked into oblivion by George Roop.

For Jung’s last fight, a rematch with Garcia this past March, the 24-year old South Korean went back to his roots with more than half of his wins involving a submission-based stoppage rather than one related to stand-up. The decision to do so paid off with second round tap-out via the rarely seen Twister and $55,000 “Submission of the Night” check to boot.

Jung recently spoke some about his style, saying he hopes to implement the same approach when he faces Mark Hominick this weekend at UFC 140. And, while he was happy to show the mainstream he’s more than a scrapper, the 11-3 Jung knows he still has a long road to travel before meeting his own expectations where ability is concerned.

“It was nice to be able to show some of the aspects of my game (against Garcia), explained Jung in an interview with the UFC’s website. “I think a lot of fans who aren’t familiar with me don’t think I have a ground game at all, that I’m just a brawler. Don’t get me wrong, I do like to brawl, but I’m trying to develop as a fighter. My goal is to always be better in each fight than I was in my last. So, it was great to show the fans something that many of them haven’t seen before.”

As far as how he thinks he can improve “The Korean Zombie” didn’t name any one area – he named all of them.

“I still need to work on being more well-rounded as a fighter. In this game, you always have to be working on getting better, or someone else is going to pass you by. I think I made progress after my fight with Roop. It was definitely the right decision to develop my style, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be completely satisfied.”

When it comes to Hominick, Jung admitted part of him will definitely want to abandon his grappling despite “The Machine” possessing some of the featherweight division’s best striking.

Hominick Out to Destroy Jung at UFC 140

“Yeah, that temptation is always there. I like brawling and I like putting on a show for the fans, but I just don’t give into it,” concluded Jung. “I just have to stay calm and stick to my game plan.”

Interested parties can catch Jung vs. Hominick on the PPV portion of UFC 140 when the broadcast starts at 9:00 PM EST. Other bouts include a headlining tilt between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former title-holder Lyoto Machida, as well those paying homage to the PRIDE vs. UFC days with Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira also expected for this weekend’s card.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC