Korean Zombie Injured, out of UFC Fight Night 53 Bout with Akira Corassani

"The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung is injured again. 

The fan-favorite featherweight has not fought since an August 2013 bid at Jose Aldo's 145-pound strap, a fight in which he injured his shoulder and broke his orbital bone, kicking off an extended absence from the UFC Octagon. 

After undergoing two surgeries to correct these injuries, Jung was expected to make his UFC return on Oct. 4 against Akira Corassani at UFC Fight Night 53 in Stockholm, Sweden. According to a report from Lee Li of MMA in Asia that was later confirmed by MMA Fighting, however, The Korean Zombie is out of the fight and will be forced to watch from the sidelines once again. 

Speaking with Jung's manager, Brian Rhee, MMA Fighting's Chuck Mindenhall learned the details of Jung's latest setback. 

"Yes, unfortunately, [Jung] strained the shoulder that he dislocated in the Aldo fight," Rhee told Mindenhall. "No structural damage, he just has to do rehab for four weeks, then the doctors will re-evaluate."

While this bump in the road is unfortunate for Jung and for fight fans, the silver lining here is that the injury does not appear to be severe in nature. According to Rhee, Jung will have his shoulder re-evaluated after a four-week rehab period, meaning that we could still potentially see him inside the cage before the end of 2014. 

This return will be hotly anticipated as the featherweight division continues to evolve. Irish superstar Conor McGregor will fight fifth-ranked Dustin Poirier at UFC 178 on Sept. 27, and Chad Mendes will battle Aldo for the 145-pound title at UFC 179 Oct. 25. 

Jung, still ranked No. 6 in the division despite his extended layoff, could conceivably fight the loser of either of those fights, although he may wind up fighting someone ranked a bit lower for a safer re-introduction to the ever-deepening featherweight class. 

For now, Corassani remains without a replacement opponent for UFC Fight Night 53, but stay tuned to Bleacher Report as details surrounding the fight emerge.