Back in January, in the main event of UFC Fight Night 104, fan favorite featherweight contender “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung returned from a lengthy hiatus with fantastic results, knocking out his foe Dennis Bermudez in the first round. Just like that, the all-action Korean star was right back in the featherweight contender picture.

From there, the Korean Zombie was scheduled for a compelling UFC 214 scrap with fellow contender Ricardo Lamas. Regrettably, the undead fighter was forced out of this contest with an injury, and replaced by Jason Knight.

Shortly thereafter, our own Chris Taylor learned that the Korean would be going under the knife to repair a torn ACL in June. Initially, it looked as though the Zombie’s road to recovery could be fairly arduous.

I have confirmed that @KoreanZombieMMA has suffered a torn ACL. He will have surgery on June 9 & will not be able to train for 6 months #UFC

— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) June 3, 2017

Now, Taylor has confirmed that the featherweight contender is bouncing back more rapidly than expected. Though he is still in the early phases of his rehab, doctors are apparently quite impressed with the strides he’s making. As such, he and his team are now targeting a late-spring return to the Octagon. Taylor confirmed this news with a representative from the Korean Zombie’s team.

With his knockout defeat of Bermudez, the Korean Zombie returned to the win column after an August 2013 loss to then-champion Jose Aldo. This loss was preceded by a jaw-dropping twister submission of Leonard Garcia, a blitzkrieg knockout of Mark Hominick, and a masterful submission defeat of Dustin Poirier. The Korean star is currently 14-4 in sum.

Who do you want to see The Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung fight when he’s ready to return to the Octagon?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 8/7/2017.