UFC's Shanghai return opens with a thrilling Friday prelude
With tickets selling out in just one minute and a strong lineup featuring China's best fighters, the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) Fight Night Shanghai is poised to be a smashing success for MMA's China promotion, said UFC president Dana White.
Returning to the Chinese mainland for the first time in six years, the UFC will stage a 12-bout card on Saturday at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium. The event has generated huge buzz across the city, with fighters drawing enthusiastic crowds at media events and open training sessions.
White, founder and CEO of the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts organization, said the overwhelming response was no surprise.
"We made a major investment here in China and have been working hard to cultivate local talent. It's only going to get bigger in the next five years," White told China Daily on Friday at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai's Jing'an district.
The 12,000-seat arena was sold out within a minute when tickets went on sale on July 10, White revealed. Even Friday's pre-event showcase — the Road to UFC Season 4 semifinals — played to a full house, setting the stage for an electrifying Fight Night.
"What it says is I should do the fight at a bigger arena in China," White said.
Saturday's main event will see rising Chinese star Zhang Mingyang take on Brazil's Johnny Walker in a high-profile light heavyweight clash. The winner is expected to move closer to the division's top 10 and a potential future title shot.
White said he’s been keeping an eye on Zhang’s foray into the light heavyweight division’s top echelon and expects a men’s champion to be crowned from China in the near future.
"Mingyang's fight is huge. He's big, he's good-looking and he hits like a truck. If he can break into the top five or even become champion, he will be the biggest star in China," White said.
Holding a record of 19 wins and 6 losses, including 13 knockouts, Zhang is riding a 12-bout win streak. Another victory would mark his fourth straight UFC win and could push the "Mountain Tiger" into the division's top ten.
Joining Zhang on the card are six other Chinese fighters. Among them, Sumudaerji faces Dana White's Contender Series alumnus Kevin Borjas at flyweight, while Yizha takes on Westin Wilson in a featherweight bout — both highly anticipated by local fans.
Friday's RTU action also featured Chinese prospects. In the main event, fan favorite Shi Ming — a traditional Chinese medicine doctor from Yunnan province — lost her UFC debut to Brazil's Bruna Brasil by unanimous decision in a strawweight bout.
At bantamweight, 20-year-old Sulangrangbo, a promising striker of China's Tibetan ethnic group, defeated Singapore's Sim Kai Xiong via unanimous decision to advance to the RTU Season 4 final. Winners of the RTU tournament will earn contracts with the UFC.
"My win comes down to three key words I always stick to — focus, discipline and perseverance. My goal is to fight my way into the UFC and eventually become a world champion," said Sulangrangbo.
