Li Jingliang of China beat Muslim Salikhov of Russia by technical knockout at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Long Island at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on Saturday, securing the most meaningful win of his career.

This was Li's first fight in 2022 and it happened nine and a half months after his loss to Khamzat Chimaev of Sweden at UFC 267. Both missed an opportunity of takedown in the first and second rounds. Salikhov was patiently waiting to catch Li off guard and strike with his signature flashy spin kicks.

However, Li, who was cautious at the start of the fight, began to strike more aggressively from the second round. His heavy punches gave the opponent a lot of trouble and interrupted his pace of fighting. At four minutes and 38 seconds, Li blew Salikhov onto the canvas with a hellacious right hand, ending the fight.

Li gave the camera to his coach for that deciding punch. "It belongs to him," he said. While he was expressing gratitude toward his coach, Li couldn't help shedding tears.

The 34-year-old fighter from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region celebrated this valuable victory by wearing the Chinese national flag on his back.

"Salikhov is a legend in Sanda (free fighting). He is famous not only in China, but also in the whole world," Li said after the fight. "It's amazing to fight him. I couldn't believe that this could happen. I only began training as a fighter in 2008 when he was already the king of the Sanda world. It's my pleasure to fight him here tonight."

Li came to the U.S. in April and has been preparing for this fight since then. "On this canvas, you need more than skills. You need power, strength, speed, reflex and a resilient will. We are all fighting for our family," he said.

UFC congratulated Li for his win on Sina Weibo, citing him as "the greatest Chinese male fighter in UFC history."