'Korean Zombie' ends 3-year hiatus with 1st-round KO of Bermudez

Chan Sung Jung turned Saturday into his personal "Night of the Living Dead."

Ending a three-year hiatus from the sport, "The Korean Zombie" made a triumphant return to the Octagon by defeating Dennis Bermudez via first-round KO in the featherweight main event of UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston.

Bermudez was floored after ducking right into a picture-perfect uppercut from Jung and he wasn't given any chance to recover as the Zombie dove down to finish him with strikes at 2:49 of the opening round. All of Jung's UFC wins have come by way of knockout or submission.

The 29-year-old Jung has been out of action since August 2013 due to a mandatory two-year military service requirement in his native South Korea. A pair of shoulder surgeries further delayed his return, but he needed less than three minutes to remind everyone why he is one of the sport's most popular fighters.

Bermudez actually landed more total strikes and it looked like he had Jung in trouble early as he connected with winging hooks. The Korean Zombie's trademark resilience was on display and he bent without breaking, biding his time until Bermudez left himself open to the fateful uppercut that put an abrupt end to the fight.

The KO loss marks only the second time in Bermudez's 22-fight career that he has been finished by strikes. He sees a two-fight win streak snapped and is likely to fall from his No. 9 spot in the UFC's official rankings.