Jay Park was simply helping out by translating for his good friend, UFC fighter Jung Chan Sung, better known as the Korean Zombie in the MMA circle, but he ended up being the one attacked by his rival Brian Ortega at the heels of UFC 248 in Las Vegas.
According to a report by Kpopstarz, the attack came after an on-air interview last month to talk about a potential match between Korean Zombie and Brian Ortega.
Jay Park is a Kpop and R & B superstar in Korea. He and Jung Chan Sung are both under the same label, AOMG. As a favor for his friend, he served as his translator during the interview with ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani. However, based on the tweet by Helwani, Jay Park personally told the journalist that he was slapped by Ortega when they crossed paths at UFC 248.
According to Jay Park, when Jung Chan Sung went to the toilet for a while, Ortega approached him to ask if he was Jay Park. After confirming his identity, the UFC fighter's open palm slapped him in the face. It was later revealed that Ortega took offense over Jay Park's previous translation to Korean Zombie's statement.
"It does not matter if it's Holloway or Volkanovski or Ortega. But Ortega 'ducked' me once. I don't need a fighter who ducks me during fights," Jay Park translated.
Ortega reportedly took issue over the term ducked because it implied that he was a coward for avoiding a fight with Chan Jun Sung. Before the attack took place, Ortega already hinted at wanting to confront Jay Park over his translations.
On his personal Instagram, he addressed the artist and said that he shouldn't be surprised if he gets slapped if they meet. After the incident, Korean Zombie heatedly responded on his own Instagram account and called out Ortega for attacking a civilian. He said that he wouldn't have been upset about Ortega went after him but it was inexcusable for him to go after Jay Park, who was a musician.
"Jay Park is not a fighter but a musician. You slapped a civilian who only helped translate. Even worse, you were sitting there waiting until I was absent and attacked Jay Park. It is not a real fight like real men do. What you have done is the same as a grown-up to beat a child," Chan Jun Sung said.
Chan Jun Sung is the first Korean MMA fighter to sign with Jay Park's AOMG label, Soompi reported.
