Dana White confirma que Brian Ortega fue retirado de la arena por una disputa con Korean Zombie en la sección de peleadores de la arena. #UFC248 pic.twitter.com/rtOM04mBBB
— C. Contreras Legaspi (@CCLegaspi) March 8, 2020
Brian Ortega apparently made good on a vow to slap Korean rapper Jay Park at UFC 248, and the alleged incident has drawn the ire of featherweight rival Chan Sung Jung.
Jung released a statement via Instagram after the altercation occurred in the fighter’s section during Saturday’s card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Park, who served as a translator for Jung during a recent interview, was slapped by Ortega while “The Korean Zombie” was in the restroom. Ortega was escorted out of the arena following the incident.
“Last night, you sat 10 meters away from me and Jay Park. For two hours nothing happened, so I thought everything was fine. But you fucking attacked Jay Park while I went to the bathroom. Jay Park is not a professional fighter but a musician. You slapped a civilian who merely helped translate,” Jung wrote. “Even worse, you were sitting there waiting until I would be absent and attacked Jay Park. It was not a fight like real men would do. What you have done is same as a grown up to beat a child. You should have attacked me. If so, I would have not been upset.
“You are such a coward for slapping a musician not a fighter. If you f—ing planned this to fight me and to use my name because people don’t remember your name anymore, then I congratulate you, it worked. I will fight you and I will knock you out and your f—-ing face will be bloody. Now, your f—ing face stays in my mind and I will f—k you up in the cage. I hope you won’t run away from me again.”
According to a report from MMAjunkie.com, a police report was filed after the altercation between Ortega and Park. Jung’s manager, Jason House said both teams were asked to be on their best behavior by UFC officials.
“Both teams were contacted prior to last night’s event and were asked by the UFC to be respectful and to not have any confrontations,” House wrote to MMAjunkie. “Our team respected the UFC’s request and maintained our professionalism throughout the night. Police reports were filed immediately after the incident occurred and now it’s a matter for law enforcement officials to handle. Korean Zombie has always been a class act and will continue to be. Our objective remains the same; to put ourselves in the best position both inside and outside the cage to become the featherweight champion this year.”
Jung and Ortega were initially scheduled to square off in the UFC Busan headliner this past December, but Ortega was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a knee injury. “The Korean Zombie” then defeated replacement opponent Frankie Edgar by technical knockout in the opening stanza.