With local favorite Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson unable to headline the UFC’s upcoming debut in South Carolina, he’ll be counting on a zombie to take his place.

The “Korean Zombie,” to be precise.

Chan Sung Jung, aka the “Korean Zombie,” will fight Brazilian Renato Moicano in the main event when the UFC comes to Greenville’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena on June 22 for UFC Fight Night on ESPN+.

It will mark the UFC’s first-ever foray into the Palmetto State. Tickets go on sale Friday morning and organizers are anticipating a sellout for the event.

“I can’t wait to get back into the octagon,” said Thompson, who works as an instructor at his family’s karate studio in Simpsonville. “But Greenville – I’m not going to be able to do that and I really really wanted to.”

Thompson was in line to headline the event in his hometown, but a second-round knockout at the hands of Anthony Pettis on March 23 derailed those plans. It was the first knockout suffered by Thompson in 76 professional fights in both kickboxing and MMA.

He hopes to return to the ring later this year, with August as a potential target date.

“I want to make sure everything’s right up here,” said Thompson, tapping his head during an interview with the website bloodyelbow.com. “This is your livelihood; this is what you do, and if you want to do this for years to come, you have to take care of yourself.

“You can condition the body, but you can’t condition the brain. You’ve got to take it slow.”

In the meantime, the Korean Zombie is expected to take it anything but slow. A couple of powerful featherweights, Jung and Moicano have strong backgrounds in Jiu-Jitsu.

Jung, of Seoul, South Korea, has developed a reputation for taking punishment as well as he can dish it out and has a professional MMA record of 14-5. He is ranked 13th in the division.

Moicano is 13-2-1, has won eight of his last 10 fights and is ranked No. 5 among featherweights.

A total of 10 fights have been set for the Greenville event, with a couple more expected to be added. Here’s the current lineup:

► Womens’ flyweight: Ariane Lipski vs. Molly “Meatball” McCann

► Bantamweight: Andre Ewell vs. Anderson Dos Santos

► Middleweight: Markus Perez vs. Deron Winn

► Women’s strawweight: Ashley “Spider Monkey” Yoder vs. Syuri Kondo

► Middleweight: Kevin Holland vs. Alessio Di Chirico

► Lightweight: Matt Wiman vs. Luis Pena

► Heavyweight: Allen Crowder vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

► Women’s flyweight: Andrea “KGB” Lee vs. Montana De La Rose

► Welterweight: Bryan “Bam Bam” Barberena vs. Randy “Rudeboy” Brown

WANT TO GO?

What: UFC Fight Night on ESPN+

When: June 22

Where: Greenville’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Tickets: Go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. online at ticketmaster.com or in person at the arena box office. Tickets range from $85-$150