Korean Zombie: Anthony Pettis 'Cut in Line,' Hasn't Earned Place in Division Yet

UFC featherweight contender Chan-Sung Jung is on the verge of a title shot, with only Ricardo Lamas standing in his way next month at UFC 162.

In an interview with BJPenn.com, "The Korean Zombie" spoke out about the headlining featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis at UFC 163 in August.

The well-rounded fan favorite is, apparently, less than thrilled that "Showtime" is making his 145-pound debut in the organization with an immediate title shot.

"

First off, I feel kind of like Pettis "cut in line". [...]

I disagree with the choice. It’s not as though I feel like I should be the one fighting Aldo, either. It’s just that Pettis hasn’t really earned a place in the division yet. I think that Lamas, myself or even some other guys should’ve gotten the title shot before Pettis.

"

After having his UFC debut spoiled by Clay Guida in June 2011, Pettis rattled off three straight wins, including back-to-back knockouts over perennial contenders Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone. 

The last and final WEC lightweight titleholder then decided he didn't want to wait for a rematch with champion Benson Henderson at 155 and instead opted to cut the extra 10 pounds to fight Aldo.

As it turns out, Aldo vs. Pettis takes place at UFC 163 on August 3, while Henderson vs. T.J. Grant is being pegged for the main event of UFC's Fox Sports 1 debut, which takes place just two weeks later on August 17 in Boston.

Interestingly enough, Jung reveals that he was not opposed to seeing Frankie Edgar—who was also awarded an immediate title shot coming down from LW—fight Aldo for the gold in February, since Eric Koch suffered a late injury and few other viable replacements were available.

Jung also makes note that he would prefer to face Aldo over Pettis and would like to headline a UFC pay-per-view in his homeland of Korea some time in the near future. 

The 26-year-old challenger is 3-0 under the UFC banner and has scored four post-fight bonuses during that span: two "Submission of the Night" awards, one "Knockout of the Night" and one "Fight of the Night" honor. 

His high-paced, action-packed bout with Dustin Poirier last May was also widely regarded as the "Fight of the Year" by many, in which Jung finished Poirier with a D'Arce choke in the fourth round.

Did the UFC make the right decision in booking Aldo vs. Pettis as the next featherweight title bout in August?

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.