Brian Ortega’s long-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach, mentor and friend Rener Gracie has taken it upon himself to issue a lengthy apology to ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung and his translator Jay Park after his protoge’s got into an altercation with Park in the stands at UFC 248 last weekend.
“I took Brian under my wing at 13 years old, and since then he’s become of one of my best friends,” Gracie wrote. “He’s one of the most loyal and talented people I’ve ever met, but sometimes his emotions get the best of him. On Saturday night, his emotions got the best of him, and as his older brother, I will make sure he learns from this. Furthermore, when I made a comment on Brian’s post, it was clear that I took some of the trash talking directed at him personally, and my emotions got the best of me as well.
“The sequence of events is an unfortunate reminder that MMA is an entertainment sport, and regardless of what trash talking takes place outside of the ring, any and all fighting or physicality should only take place between the fighters and should always take place in the octagon.
“I too remember when you attended my seminar in Korea over three years ago. It was one of the highlights of my Asia tour. You were humble, respectful, and very technical. To this day, the training session I had with you remains one of my all-time favorites. _ I apologize for my comment, and I’m sorry your friend Jay Park had to experience the events that unfolded. _ Rener G.”
For his part, Ortega has also issued a brief apology.
“I want to officially apologize to JPark for Saturday night, when Zombie is ready we can fight,” Ortega wrote.
