Saturday’s battle to determine the UFC’s next No. 1 featherweight contender is officially on, as Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung each successfully made weight during Friday’s weigh-in.
Ortega (14-1), who hasn’t fought since December 2018, weighed in at 146 pounds. Jung (16-5), of South Korea, also came in at 146 pounds.
Earlier this week, UFC president Dana White told ESPN the winner of the fight, which will headline UFC Fight Night in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, will be the next challenger to defending champion Alex Volkanovski.
Ortega is a former title challenger, and 6-1 overall in the UFC. Jung, nicknamed “The Korean Zombie,” has been on fire as of late, finishing three of his past four opponents by first-round knockout.
“It’s absolutely a No. 1 contender fight,” White said. “First of all, it’s a fight that should have happened a long time ago. We’re finally here. With all the crazy stuff that has happened, and crazy stuff always happens in this business, for us to finally be here, Zombie vs. Ortega, absolutely the winner of this fight should get the next title shot.”
The bout was originally supposed to happen last December, however Ortega was forced to pull out with a knee injury.
All 22 fighters set to compete at UFC Fight Night made weight including former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade, who is moving up a weight class to face former flyweight title challenger Katlyn Chookagian in a key women’s matchup. Both Andrade and Chookagian weighed 126 pounds.