Renato Carneiro Believes a Win Over 'The Korean Zombie' Puts Him Back in Title Contention

Featherweight Renato Carneiro will headline against Chan Sung Jung at UFC Greenville on June 22. The 30-year-old Brazilian is coming off of a February loss to Jose Aldo and, despite the setback, feels that a win against "The Korean Zombie" puts him right back in the hunt for a title shot. "After that win, I will come back to be a contender, you know, and show everybody how good I am," Carneiro told The Score's James Lynch.

"Moicano" is currently ranked fifth in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's featherweight listing, with his main event partner sitting in at No. 12. The American Top Team fighter has a strong UFC record, only losing two of seven bouts in the Octagon, with those finishes coming at the hands of Aldo and Brian Ortega.

At 32, his opponent owns notable performances as well, but none as legendary as Jung's last bout against Yair Rodriguez. Already on his way to a decision victory over the Mexican, the "Zombie" succumbed to a last-second elbow from hell and went limp at minute 4:59 of round five. Jung (14-5) has not fought since that brutal November 2018 knockout.

Because of the reputation of the "The Korean Zombie," Carneiro expects great things from the upcoming bout. "I think [it] will be a great fight because [the] 'Korean Zombie,' he always bring[s] good fights to the public and me too."

Carneiro (13-2-1) believes that a victory over the Korean will vault him back into the contender conversation. "I think with a big win, that fight will put a momentum and I will come back to the contenders in the featherweight [division], and I want a fight with some[one] in the top five, and a title shot [after that]."