The History Of Chinese Fighters in The UFC

Migrating over from WEC, Tiequan Zhang was the first mixed martial artist from China to step into the Octagon. He was also the first Chinese fighter to pick up a win under the UFC banner, as well. At the time of his UFC debut, “The Wolf” had gone past the first round just once in 15 fights.

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He kept that all-action pace up in his lone UFC win, submitting Jason Reinhardt less than a minute into the first round, the 12th tap out victory of his career. Zhang would go on to fight three more times in the Octagon before serving as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter in 2013. 

First Chinese Woman To Compete In The UFC: Yan Xiaonan

About six years after Zhang made the walk to the Octagon, Yan did the same at UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs Gastelum in Shanghai. Then 26, Yan tallied a decision win over Kailin Curran, which kicked off a six-fight winning streak to open her UFC account. Yan hit a small skid, losing back-to-back fights to Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez, but she bounced back to take down Mackenzie Dern in a main event bout before stamping her claim on the title shot with a knockout win over Jéssica Andrade. 

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First Chinese Champion: Zhang Weili

It took “Magnum” a grand total of nine months to go from UFC debutant to UFC champion. 

After taking out Danielle Taylor, Jessica Aguilar and Tecia Torres, Zhang challenged freshly minted champ Jéssica Andrade in Shenzhen. Just like her rise to title contention, Zhang wasted no time wresting the belt from the Brazilian. Zhang’s early flurry of strikes earned the stoppage 42 seconds into their fight and earned her the distinction of China’s first champion. She would go on to defend her title in the Fight of the Year in 2020 against Joanna Jędrzejczyk in March 2020. 

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Chinese Fighter With The Most Fights In The UFC: Li Jingliang (17)

After making his UFC debut in May 2014, “The Leech” has arguably been the face of male Chinese mixed martial arts for the last decade. 

A fan-favorite and all-action fighter, Li has shared the Octagon with some of the best in the world, including Khamzat Chimaev, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Neil Magny. His durability has been nothing short of incredible. Despite always bringing the fight and walking forward, Li has never been knocked out while racking up eight wins via knockout himself. He stepped into the Octagon at least once from 2014 to 2022 until spinal surgery sidelined him in 2023. His last fight came in a razor-close split decision loss to Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279, and despite not fighting since then, he still holds myriad records for Chinese fighters in the Octagon.  

Chinese Fighter With The Most Wins In The UFC: Li Jingliang (11)

One such record Li holds is the most wins by a Chinese fighter in the UFC. Of his 11 wins, eight have come via finish (all knockouts), which is also the most by a Chinese fighter in the UFC. 

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Some of Jingliang’s most notable victims include Dhiego Lima, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Ponzinibbio. In 17 UFC fights, Li has earned seven performance bonuses (also the most by a Chinese fighter). Five of those bonuses were for Performance of the Night while two were Fight of the Night honors. 

The only fighter coming close to these records is Song Yadong. The 26-year-old phenom debuted in November 2017 and has racked up 14 total fights, 10 wins and six finishes, to go along with six performance bonuses. The bantamweight contender will almost certainly break some of these records in the coming years while Li continues to recover, but it’s impossible to write the history of Chinese mixed martial arts without “The Leech.”

Zhang and Yan will share a historic moment at UFC 300, another milestone for China’s rapidly building MMA history. Between the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai and the Road to UFC tournament providing a great pathway to the Octagon for mixed martial artists across Asia, it’s only a matter of time before an even bigger wave of Chinese fighters find their way into the UFC.