Li Jingliang

Li Jingliang (Chinese: 李景亮; born March 20, 1988) is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes as a welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of January 19, 2021, he is #12 in the UFC welterweight rankings.[5]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.
Li Jingliang
BornLi Jingliang
(1988-03-20) March 20, 1988
Tacheng, Xinjiang, China
Native name李景亮
Other namesThe Leech
NationalityChinese
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
DivisionWelterweight
Reach72 in (183 cm)[2]
Fighting out ofBeijing, China
TeamChina Top Team
Team Alpha Male[3]
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[4]
Years active2007–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total24
Wins18
By knockout9
By submission4
By decision5
Losses6
By submission1
By decision5
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Originally from a small town near Tacheng in the Xinjiang Province of Northwest China, Li competed in Chinese wrestling and trained in Sanda before moving to Beijing in 2008 in order to pursue a career in professional mixed martial arts.[6] Li began training under the tutelage of current UFC Lightweight Zhang Tiequan.[7][8]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Li made his professional debut in 2007, winning via submission due to punches in the second round. He would go on to compile a record of 8–2, capturing the Legend FC Welterweight Championship in the process, before being granted his release and signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Li made his promotional debut on May 24, 2014, at UFC 173 against American fighter David Michaud, who had an undefeated record of 7–0. Li defeated Michaud via split decision, giving Michaud the first loss of his career.[9]

Li faced French fighter Nordine Taleb on October 4, 2014, at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine.[10] Li was able to take Taleb down multiple times throughout the fight and even successfully land significantly more strikes as Taleb was content to counter strike throughout the bout. In a surprising result, Taleb was given the victory by split decision.[11]

Li was expected to face American fighter Roger Zapata on May 16, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 66.[12] However, on April 18, it was announced that Zapata was pulled from the fight due to undisclosed reasons and replaced by Brazilian fighter Dhiego Lima.[13] Li defeated Lima via knockout in the first round.[14]

Li was expected to face Japanese fighter Kiichi Kunimoto on September 27, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 75.[15] However, Kunimoto pulled out of the fight in late August citing injury and was replaced by returning Japanese veteran Keita Nakamura.[16] After dominating the first two rounds, Li lost the fight via technical submission in the third round.[17]

Li subsequently faced Australian fighter Anton Zafir on July 8, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale.[18] Li defeated Zafir via knockout in the first round.[19]

Li was expected to face Canadian fighter Chad Laprise on December 10, 2016, at UFC 206.[20] However, Laprise pulled out of the fight on November 16 citing an undisclosed injury. As a result, Li was pulled from the card entirely and rescheduled to a future event.[21]

Li was expected to face American fighter Yancy Medeiros on January 28, 2017, at UFC on Fox 23.[22] However, in early January, Medeiros pulled out for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by American fighter Bobby Nash.[23] Li defeated Nash via knockout in the second round.[24]

Li faced Northern Mariana Islands fighter Frank Camacho on June 17, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia.[25] Li defeated Camacho via unanimous decision.[26] The win also earned Li his second Fight of the Night bonus award.[27]

Li faced Zak Ottow on November 25, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Gastelum.[28] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[29] The win also earned Li his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[30]

Li faced Jake Matthews on February 11, 2018, at UFC 221.[31] He lost the fight via unanimous decision and received criticism for his eye gouge of Matthews.[32][33] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night bonus.[34]

Li faced Daichi Abe on June 23, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 132.[35] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[36]

Li was scheduled to face Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on November 24, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 141.[37] However on October 27, 2018, it was reported that Zaleski withdrew from the bout due to a partial ligament tear in his right knee,[38] and he is replaced by David Zawada.[39] He won the fight via technical knockout in round three.[40][41]

Li was expected to face Alex Oliveira on April 27, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 3.[42] However, on March 24, 2019, it was report Li pulled from the bout, citing injury.[43]

A pairing with Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos was rescheduled and took place on August 31, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 15.[44] Li won the fight via technical knockout in round three.[45] The win earned Li his third Performance of the Night bonus award.[46]

Li faced Neil Magny on March 7, 2020 at UFC 248.[47] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[48]

Li was scheduled to face Dwight Grant on December 12, 2020 at UFC 256.[49] However, on December 8, 2020 Grant tested positive for COVID-19 during fight week and had to pull out. [50]A replacement opponent for Li wasn't able to be found, and therefore Li was removed from the event. [51]

Li faced Santiago Ponzinibbio, replacing Muslim Salikhov, on January 16, 2021 at UFC on ABC 1.[52] He won the fight via first round knockout.[53] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[54]

Personal life

Li and his wife have a daughter (born 2015) and a son (born 2020).[55][56]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed Martial Arts

Brazilian jiu-jitsu
  • China Open Jiu-jitsu Tournament
    • 2013 1st place - Absolute (Purple Belt)[58]
    • 2013 1st place - 92kg (Purple Belt)

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
24 matches 18 wins 6 losses
By knockout 9 0
By submission 4 1
By decision 5 5
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 18–6 Santiago Ponzinibbio KO (punch) UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar January 16, 2021 1 4:25 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Performance of the Night.
Loss 17–6 Neil Magny Decision (unanimous) UFC 248 March 7, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 17–5 Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang August 31, 2019 3 4:51 Shenzhen, China Performance of the Night.
Win 16–5 David Zawada TKO (body kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 November 24, 2018 3 4:07 Beijing, China Performance of the Night.
Win 15–5 Daichi Abe Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards June 23, 2018 3 5:00 Kallang, Singapore
Loss 14–5 Jake Matthews Decision (unanimous) UFC 221 February 11, 2018 3 5:00 Perth, Australia Fight of the Night.
Win 14–4 Zak Ottow TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Gastelum November 25, 2017 1 2:57 Shanghai, China Performance of the Night.
Win 13–4 Frank Camacho Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia June 17, 2017 3 5:00 Kallang, Singapore Fight of the Night.
Win 12–4 Bobby Nash KO (punches) UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña January 28, 2017 2 4:45 Denver, Colorado, United States
Win 11–4 Anton Zafir KO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale July 8, 2016 1 2:46 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 10–4 Keita Nakamura Technical Submission (standing rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson September 27, 2015 3 2:17 Saitama, Japan
Win 10–3 Dhiego Lima KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber May 16, 2015 1 1:25 Pasay, Philippines
Loss 9–3 Nordine Taleb Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine October 4, 2014 3 5:00 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win 9–2 David Michaud Decision (split) UFC 173 May 24, 2014 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 8–2 Luke Jumeau Submission (guillotine choke) Legend FC 11 April 27, 2013 3 3:38 Hong Kong, SAR, China Won the Legend FC Welterweight Championship.
Win 7–2 Dan Pauling Decision (unanimous) Legend FC 9 June 16, 2012 3 5:00 Hong Kong, SAR, China
Loss 6–2 Myung Ho Bae Decision (unanimous) Legend FC 7 February 11, 2012 3 5:00 Hong Kong, SAR, China
Win 6–1 Alex Niu Decision (unanimous) Legend FC 5 July 16, 2011 3 5:00 Hong Kong, SAR, China
Win 5–1 Tony Rossini Technical Submission (guillotine choke) Legend FC 4 January 27, 2011 2 1:11 Hong Kong, SAR, China
Win 4–1 Andrei Liu TKO (punches) Legend FC 3 September 24, 2010 1 3:43 Hong Kong, SAR, China
Loss 3–1 Pat Crawley Decision (unanimous) Legend FC 2 June 24, 2010 3 5:00 Hong Kong, SAR, China
Win 3–0 Yun Tao Gong Submission (guillotine choke) AOW 15: Ueyama vs. Aohailin November 28, 2009 1 5:29 Beijing, China
Win 2–0 Liu Jin Wen Submission (guillotine choke) Ultimate Martial Arts Combat April 18, 2009 1 3:05 Beijing, China
Win 1–0 Makhach Gadzhiev TKO (submission to punches) AOW 8: Worlds Collide September 22, 2007 2 1:02 Beijing, China

[59]

See also

References
  1. "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Barnett vs. Nelson". UFC.com. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  2. "Jingliang Li". Tapology. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  3. James Goyder (January 12, 2021). "Jingliang Li staying focused despite Covid-19 complications ahead of Fight Island 7". asianmma.com.
  4. "中国Ufc名将李景亮荣升巴西柔术黑带". xw.qq.com (in Chinese). October 29, 2019.
  5. "Rankings | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  6. "China's Li-thal force moves step closer to ultimate prize". china.org.cn. January 12, 2021.
  7. "Li JingLiang Wins Big for China". Fightland. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  8. "China's New Breed: Enter The Leech". Fightland. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  9. http://www.bjpenn.com/mmanews/ufc-173-results-li-defeats-michaud-by-way-of-split-decision/
  10. Staff (2014-08-11). "Nordine Taleb-Jingliang Li Welterweight Bout Added to Oct. 4 UFC Fight Night in Halifax". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  11. "'The Leech' suffers split decision loss against Nordine Taleb - FSA - FightSport Asia". FSA - FightSport Asia. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  12. Staff (2015-02-11). "UFC Fight Night 66 in Philippines adds five fights". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
  13. Guilherme Cruz (2015-04-18). "Dhiego Lima replaces Roger Zapata, meets Jingliang Li at UFC Fight Night 66". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  14. Brent Brookhouse (2015-05-16). "UFC Fight Night 66 results: Gritty Li Jingliang KOs Dhiego Lima in 85 seconds". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  15. Akihito Tatematsu (2015-07-02). "UFC Japan adds KID Yamamoto, Kiichi Strasser, and Kyoji Horiguchi". mma-in-asia.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
  16. Staff (2015-08-28). "With Kunimoto out, Nakamura Keita returns to face Li Jingliang at UFC Fight Night 75". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  17. Steven Marrocco (2015-09-26). "UFC Fight Night 75 results: Keita Nakamura puts Li Jingliang to sleep with gorgeous choke". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  18. Staff (2016-04-06). "3 fights added to TUF 23 Finale in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  19. Ben Fowlkes (2016-07-08). "TUF 23 Finale results: Li Jingliang turns Anton Zafir's lights out with first-round ground-and-pound". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  20. Staff (2016-10-14). "Chad Laprise returns to welterweight, meets Li Jingliang at UFC 206 in Toronto". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  21. Thomas Gerbasi (2016-11-16). "Laprised injured, Li bout off". ufc.ca.com. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  22. Staff (2016-12-21). "Yancy Medeiros meets Li Jingliang at UFC on FOX 23 in Denver". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
  23. Staff (2017-01-02). "Bobby Nash replaces Yancy Medeiros, meets Li Jingliang at UFC on FOX 23". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  24. Matt Erickson (2017-01-28). "UFC on FOX 23 results: Li Jingliang takes out Bobby Nash with second-round knockout". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  25. Staff (2017-06-07). "Frank Camacho a late replacement next week at UFC Fight Night 111 in Singapore". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  26. "UFC Fight Night 111 results: Li Jingliang survives first round, rallies to beat Frank Camacho". MMAjunkie. 2017-06-17. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  27. "UFC Fight Night 111 bonuses: You know Holly Holm's sick kick was worth $50,000". MMAjunkie. 2017-06-17. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
  28. DNA, MMA. "Publiekslieveling Li Jingliang treft Zak Ottow tijdens UFC Shanghai". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2017-10-07.
  29. "UFC Fight Night 122 results: Li Jingliang thrills home fans, takes out Zak Ottow in first". MMAjunkie. 2017-11-25. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
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  33. "6 Thoughts on the UFC's Week: Cheating Pays $50K, Someone's Lying, Missed Opportunities and More".
  34. "UFC 221 bonuses: Much-hyped newcomer among night's $50,000 winners". MMAjunkie. 2018-02-11. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
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  39. DNA, MMA. "David Zawada pakt short notice partij tegen Li Jingliang tijdens UFC Beijing". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  40. "UFC Fight Night 141 play-by-play and live results". MMAjunkie. 2018-11-24. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
  41. Jon Fuentes (2018-11-24). "UFC Beijing Bonuses: Ngannou & Jingliang Bank $50k For Finishes". lowkickmma.com. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
  42. Raphael Marinho (2019-02-27). "UFC schedules fight between Alex Cowboy and Chinese Li Jingliang at UFC Fort Lauderdale in April" (in Portuguese). sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  43. DNA, MMA. "Li Jingliang moet zich geblesseerd afmelden voor UFC Fort Lauderdale gevecht tegen Cowboy Oliveira". Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  44. Farah Hannoun (2019-07-10). "Li Jingliang vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos added to UFC on ESPN+ 15 in China". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  45. Anderson, Jay (2019-08-31). "UFC Shenzhen Results: Li Jingliang Stops Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
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  49. Anderson, Jay (2020-10-10). "Li Jingliang vs. Dwight Grant Lined Up for UFC 256". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  50. Nolan King (2020-12-07). "Dwight Grant announces positive COVID-19 test, out of UFC 256 fight vs. Li Jingliang". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  51. Cole Shelton (2020-12-09). "Tecia Torres Gets New Opponent For UFC 256, Li Jingliang Doesn't". mmanews.com. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
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  53. McClory, Mike (2021-01-16). "UFC Fight Island 7 Results: Li Jingliang Spoils Return of Santiago Ponzinibbio". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  54. Hiergesell, Dan (2021-01-16). "UFC Fight Island 7 Bonuses! 'Leech' Banks $50K For Stopping Ponzinibbio". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  55. Dan Shapiro (July 16, 2016). "As MMA turns focus to China, UFC's Li Jingliang brings advice home to country's fighters". MMAjunkie.com.
  56. Steve Latrell (January 12, 2021). "Li Jingliang: The Fight Island Interview". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  57. "UFC 221 bonuses: Much-hyped newcomer among night's $50,000 winners". MMAjunkie. 2018-02-11. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  58. "2013中国巴西柔术公开赛刘文擘李景亮双双斩获两块金牌-柔术-武者网". www.swuzhe.com.
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