Sherdog’s 2023 Walkout Song of the Year

While 2023 spells the first two-time winner of Sherdog’s “Walkout Song of the Year” award, it does so for dramatically different reasons than before.

With international events in full swing again by major MMA promotions, fighters reminded the fans why they love packing the stands. When the combatants take a page from the pro wrestling playbook and add some pageantry to the equation, the pop can be much greater. Just ask Spike Carlyle, whose imagination has inspired him to dress up as his favorite characters from anime (My Hero Academia) or video games (Kingdom Hearts) as he strode out to battle. Whether picked for personal reasons or as a tool to win over the crowd, walkout songs have a major purpose in mixed martial arts.

Plenty of greatest hits echoed in buildings ranging from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas to the PGE Narodowy stadium in Warsaw, Poland, and the usual assortment of entrance tunes treated the airwaves this year. Some were clever, like Britain’s Tom Aspinall selecting Sting’s “An Englishman in New York” before seizing the interim heavyweight strap in New York at UFC 295. Others were stone-cold cool, such as Artur Szpilka riding passenger as he was driven and rapped out to the cage at KSW 83, or Sergio Pettis getting an extra skip in his step courtesy of one Christopher Wallace’s “Ten Crack Commandments” for his Bellator 301 match. Justin Tafa very nearly claimed the throne this year with his choice: John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” for the Sydney audience—which loudly sang along as if he were competing in West Virginia itself. With fans already on his side, the Kiwi set the building ablaze by starching Austen Lane, much like when Charlie Rich set Denver’s country music award (card) on fire in 1975.

Audiences love a singalong. Any time an activity like watching a live sporting event becomes remotely interactive, it is prime for enjoyment. Who knew that Australian MMA fans would care for anything produced by John Denver, let alone a song about missing rural America? Millions around the world have absolutely no interest in Neil Diamond’s discography. Yet, even the most ardent of haters are ready to belt out “Ba ba ba” or “So good, so good” the moment that “Sweet Caroline” hits the airwaves in an arena. That goes double for the song that won “Walkout Song of the Year,” which became the first track ever to repeat winning this award.

Cut back to November 2021, with the worst of the coronavirus pandemic over and organizations revving their engines to bring crowds back. Bellator MMA took to Dublin and headlined a card with the local Peter Queally, who proceeded to bring the house down by playing “Zombie” by The Cranberries in the 3Arena before competing. This whole experience, from the song selection to the fan support and even commentary response, tied this award in a neat bow. In August, Chan Sung Jung, also known as “The Korean Zombie,” repeated this feat, only in Singapore.

The end was near for Jung, who publicly pontificated about entering into his retirement fight when facing Max Holloway atop UFC Fight Night 225. The odds were against him, and most expected the former champ would have his way with the South Korean fan favorite. That did not bother Jung or his fans one iota, as he had defied the odds before and could do so again. Win or lose, attendees came in droves to the Singapore Indoor Stadium to catch his last fight. They expected he would give it his all, and he did. Before competing, as it was his custom for his entire 12-fight UFC run, Jung chose “Zombie” by The Cranberries as his entrance track. When the chorus hit, like so many times before, voices sang and cheered along in tune, but this time, it felt different.

Play-by-play commentator Brendan Fitzgerald allowed as much of the song to play as he could without chiming in. The air was electric, and the chorus kicked in moments after he needed to introduce the headliner.

“Fight fans, take this moment in,” Fitzgerald said. “‘The Korean Zombie’ is a decorated UFC competitor, he is a title challenger, he’s a fan favorite no matter where in the world he fights, but what a setting here in Southeast Asia.”

Fitzgerald paused. He knew what was about to come. The explosion of the voices, the call from the audience to Jung’s song. He could not hope to talk over the 10,263 screaming fans who aligned with and felt the music. A deafening “What’s in your head, in your head, zombie, zombie, zombie-eh-eh-eh” completely drowned out anything they could hope to say. Commentator Paul Felder snuck in a few words to illustrate the scene when reaching a lull in the music. Fellow color commentator Michael Bisping did not have enough time to utter a single syllable before the chorus shook the very foundation of the building.

“I’ve got chills. I mean both walkouts, honest to God, have made me almost a bit teary-eyed. I respect both of these guys so much. To see Max come out here and face another legend like ‘Korean Zombie’ over here in Asia, with everything that Max has going on at home, with everything ‘Korean Zombie’ has going on in his life. This is going to be fantastic,” Felder gushed, and for good reason.

The action itself was masterfully covered on the Sherdog play-by-play, but suffice to say, the two collided thrillingly enough to pick up bonus checks following 10-plus minutes of frenetic action. Despite his best efforts, the 36-year-old Jung could not pull one final rabbit out of the hat, but he did go out on his shield by slugging Holloway with everything he had. Even with the beloved “Korean Zombie” losing in such a dramatic fashion, the victory for Holloway was not met with boos and the defeat was not answered with disappointment or hostility.

Holloway had his hand raised by referee Marc Goddard, and he rushed over to his fallen foe and raised his arm in the air. With his other hand, “Blessed” grabbed the microphone held by Bisping and shouted, “Give it up for ‘Korean Zombie,’ guys, man’s a f---ing legend! Let’s go!” He followed by screaming “louder!” a few times to hype the crowd further and then embraced Jung. What transpired after would melt even the iciest of hearts.

The South Korean expressed his disappointment in never claiming a title and announced his retirement in the cage, placing his gloves on the Octagon floor to conclude his 12-fight tenure. His stay was short in terms of engagements but incredibly memorable, as eight of those bouts earned Jung post-fight bonus money. Raw emotion poured out from every pore in his body. As Jung wept while embraced by his friends and teammates, The Cranberries began to play on the loudspeakers. Chants of “Zombie” echoed in the stadium until the iconic song once again reached its chorus.

Warm from the love and support flooding him from all sides of the arena, Jung exited the cage and smiled. Few dry eyes were in the house. Folks could scarcely hear themselves think with the Singapore masses bellowing along to his trademark walkout tune. Fighters do not often get to go out on their terms, and retiring off a win is a commodity that many will not enjoy. “The Korean Zombie” believed he had reached the end of his journey, and the fans thanked him for it by sharing their appreciation. This memorable scene tied a bow around the evening, showing victory or defeat means nothing in this sport without the fans. Thanks to that night, “Zombie” earned its dramatic place as the first two-time winner of the Sherdog.com “Walkout Song of the Year” award, capturing it first in 2021 and again in 2023.