MMA circuit has success in Chinese mainland debut

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The first UFC in China was a resounding success and the full-capacity crowds at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai were not disappointed. Chinese fighters won five of eight bouts including performance bonuses for 19-year-old Song Yadong and rising welterweight star Li Jingliang for his thrilling TKO of Zak Ottow in the co-main event.

The Xinjiang native showed that while he can dish out punishment in the Octagon, he's got a soft heart out of it as the 29-year-old pledged to donate his winnings to charity, and is aware of the effect his success will have for other fighters in China.

Li Jingliang of China celebrates after his knockout victory over Zak Ottow in their welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event in Shanghai. /VCG Photo

"It is good that I can influence people around me. The fighters in China are good now, and I believe there will be more excellent Chinese fighters who can have good results in the UFC, and I also believe we won't let the UFC down. We won't let others down. I have faith in Chinese fighters," Li Jingliang said.

The UFC organizers were pleasantly surprised with the success of the Shanghai fight night as tickets sold out two months before the event and the energy in the arena was electric. The reaction shows the strength and passion of MMA fans in China and this was certainly not lost on UFC officials.

"As far as whether now we plan to come back, it is definitely we are going back to the joint table probably on Monday. So it is kind of taking a look at our plan for 2018," UFC Asia-Pacific VP Kevin Chang said.

Kelvin Gastelum (R) of the US fights with a trainer during an open workout session prior to UFC Fight Night in Shanghai. /VCG Photo‍

After Brazilian legend Anderson Silva was pulled from the headlining bout against Kelvin Gastelum about two weeks before it, there was concern about the effect on the main card. But a very willing replacement was found quickly in Michael Bisping, an Englishman who holds the record for the most wins in the UFC, and who was just coming off the loss of the middleweight world championship 21 days earlier.

But it would be the 26-year-old Gastelum coming out on top, punctuating the night with a devastating knockout, a perfect end to the American's first trip to China, a visit he thoroughly enjoyed both in and out of the ring.

"This reminds me a lot of what we did in the first event in Mexico. After this event, there's gonna be a huge broom of Chinese fighters, and there's gonna be big stars in UFC, like we've seen Mexican stars rise up in UFC," Kelvin Gstelum said.

If Gastelum's prognosticating is as precise as his punches, his predictions about Chinese fighters and the growth of the sport in this country mean a very bright future for the UFC in China.

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