Fighting back tears as he spoke, Max Holloway made it clear Saturday’s fight against Chan Sung Jung will be different than any other in his UFC career.
The former UFC featherweight champion will wear red for the first time in support of the victims and people of Lahaina following the deadly wildfires two weeks ago that claimed the lives of at least 115 people.
The five-round, main-event fight headlines a UFC Fight Night card Saturday in Singapore. Both fighters weighed in at 146 pounds on Thursday.
It was more than nine years ago when Holloway came to Singapore for the first time and beat Will Chope in a knockout of the night performance to start a streak of 13 wins culminating in a run as UFC featherweight champion.
The No. 1-ranked contender at 145 pounds, Holloway remains focused on potentially having another run with that belt, but this fight against Jung, nicknamed “The Korean Zombie,” has taken on a completely different meaning since the horrific event of two weeks ago on Maui.
“It’s tough, man. Those guys are the real heroes right now with what they’re going through,” Holloway said during Thursday’s media session, referring to the people of West Maui. “My walkout song is going to be a dedication to them and we should use red to solidify (ourselves) with those guys and what they’re going through.”
Holloway (24-7, 20-7 UFC) has represented Hawaii throughout his UFC career, championing efforts to get the organization to hold an event here before it was eventually shot down due to the lack of a proper venue.
The UFC is selling a T-shirt reading “UFC loves Hawaii” with a heart replacing the word “loves” in the middle, with all of the profits going to the recovery efforts on Maui.
Holloway, who is from Waianae and lives on Oahu, did not suppress his emotions during his press conference Thursday when discussing the tragedy on Maui.
“I always go in there representing Hawaii on my back,” he said. “But it’s a little bit heavier now.”
Holloway, who holds wins over the other three fighters in the division ranked in the top four behind champion Alexander Volkanovski, is fighting Jung in a legacy fight fans have clamored for for a long time.
Jung (17-7, 7-4), who is ranked No. 8 in the division, is 36 and hasn’t fought in the UFC in more than a year.
He will headline his 10th consecutive UFC event and is best known for his fourth-round submission win over Dustin Poirier in 2012 that won most Fight of the Year awards.
Jung’s last win was a unanimous decision over Kahuku alum Dan Ige in June 2021 before losing by fourth-round TKO to Volkanovski in April 2022.
“This is a legacy fight. You’re only as good as your last fight in this sport,” Holloway said. “I’m expecting the best Korean Zombie there is. He’s had one year, four months to be healed, to get healthy, to get better as an athlete, to get better as a person, period. He got to get all of his affairs in order and we’ll see. I think the dangerous Korean Zombie is coming out Saturday night and I’m looking forward to it.”
Jung, who has battled injuries throughout his entire career, is one of the few featherweights in the world with a list of opponents on the level of Holloway. He, too, has fought Volkanovski, Poirier, Jose Aldo, Yair Rodriguez, Frankie Edgar and Brian Ortega, among others.
“I’ve wanted to fight Holloway forever, and whenever I imagined me fighting Holloway, I also expect a slugfest to happen,” Jung said at Thursday’s media day through an interpreter. “It’s very difficult for a fighter to acknowledge when his career has ended, so I’ll have to see how well I fight in the octagon. I’ll have to assess for myself on this fight and then decide what’s going to happen next.”
Holloway vs. Jung will headline a six-fight main card beginning at 2 a.m. on ESPN+.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: HOLLOWAY VS. KOREAN ZOMBIE
Singapore
>> Main card: Saturday, 2 a.m.
>> Main event: Max Holloway (24-7, 20-7) vs. Chan Sung Jung (17-7, 7-4)
>> TV: ESPN+
