The Korean Zombie Resurfaces

Chan Sung Jung is without doubt one of the most popular fighters among MMA's hardcore fan base.

The UFC has not seen "The Korean Zombie" compete since his spirited title fight loss against Jose Aldo, which saw a competitive fight come to an abrupt halt once the South Korean dislocated his shoulder in the fourth round—his Brazilian counterpart seizing on the opportunity to finish the fight and earn the TKO win.

The aforementioned shoulder injury kept The Korean Zombie out of action for over a year, before it was announced he was going to face off with Swedish brawler Akira Corrasani in October 2014. However, another injury suffered by Jung saw him have to pull out of the fight. Later that month, as a result of the injury, he announced his commitment to fulfilling his South Korean military service—a mandatory requirement for South Korean males which would see him out of MMA action for two years.

A collective sigh of despair emanated from the MMA community who had yearned for his Octagon return. That's not surprising given Jung's penchant for exciting fights and finishes which have earned him multiple awards for his efforts, including a "Submission of the Year" award from the World MMA Awards for his twister submission against the gritty Leonard Garcia in 2011—a win which remains the UFC's sole twister submission finish to this day.

While The Korean Zombie's military service has kept him out of the media limelight and from competing on the big stage, it has afforded him time to both train and spend time with his young family. Sometimes doing both at the same time:

However, this week saw everyone's favorite Korean fighter return to the MMA news cycle as he was spotted helping Benson Henderson train in Seoul ahead of this weekend's fight against wily veteran Jorge Masvidal at UFC Fight Night 79 in what is the UFC's first foray into South Korea. The event will no doubt be a great occasion, but it's unquestionably missing South Korea's biggest star.

Of South Korean stock himself, Henderson has trained in Seoul with Jung on a number of occasions—most notably before his somewhat controversial unanimous decision UFC lightweight title win against Frankie Edgar in Saitama, Japan at UFC 144.

During fight week, Henderson should garner headlines for standard MMA fare such as trash talk and weight cut issues. However, this budding bromance, Henderson's inability to keep his friend's daughter from crying and the first real public sightings of The Korean Zombie emerge as the true media centerpiece during the build up.

We're half way through Chan Sung Jung's two-year military conscription and it's been well over two years since he last fought in the UFC. But, it's evident the MMA world still craves to see The Korean Zombie back in the Octagon.