Brian Ortega issues official apology to Jay Park for UFC 248 incident, requests next fight

Brian Ortega is in a tough position after UFC 248. He was seated slightly away from the Octagon and not far from the 'Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung. After Jung left to go to the bathroom, a reported "instigation" from the translator led Brian Ortega to slap rapper Jay Park and make a snide comment that was captured on camera by someone behind them.

Jay Park is still assessing whether to press charges or not and has a reported year to do so. He told Ariel Helwani of ESPN that he was bewildered by the entire situation and felt that he did nothing wrong, stating that he was a fan of Ortega and even followed him on Instagram.

However, he said that in the end, if Ortega reacted that way to non-fighters over a meager translation issue, then he has to reassess his life. Brian Ortega issued a formal apology to Jay Park on Twitter, also calling for a fight against The 'Korean Zombie'.

I want to officially apologize to JPark for Saturday night, when Zombie is ready we can fight.

— Brian Ortega (@BrianTcity) March 11, 2020

Zombie and Ortega were supposed to fight at UFC Busan in the final fight of the decade for the promotion, but Ortega pulled out with a couple of weeks left due to an injury. Frankie Edgar took his place, delaying his Bantamweight debut in January and was finished via TKO in the first round.

Ortega and Zombie seem to be on a collision course and that could happen in the second half of 2020 as the Korean contender underwent eye surgery not too long ago. From a fight that had mutual respect, the bad blood will be evident.