By CCTV.com reporter Colin Robinson

Though the Ultimate Fighting Championship has a 500-strong roster, there has only ever been a handful of fighters from China. The most successful of them, Li “The Leech” Jingliang—a 28-year-old from Xinjiang—is looking to blaze a trail in a U.S.-based league, like basketball star Yao Ming did in the NBA. But Li’s road to the top is tough, particularly as he fights in the welterweight division—arguably the promotion’s deepest pool of talent. 

Li Jingliang (L)

It has not been an easy journey for Li, whose career has been characterized by up-and-down struggles since he joined the promotion in 2014. He won his first fight on a narrow split decision and then followed it with a split decision loss. In his third fight, he secured his first knockout, but then was submitted in the third round of his next bout—against the vastly experienced Keita Nakamura of Japan, a veteran of almost 40 professional fights.

But with his recent win over Bobby Nash, Li took a significant stride forward. While he was a slight favorite over Nash, who was making his UFC debut, he was still facing an unmistakably tough test in the Michigan-based fighter who had just one defeat and eight victories in regional promotions. Those victories included three submissions and four knockouts.

Though Li vs. Nash was just a preliminary fight at UFC Denver, it provided some of the card’s best entertainment.

Over two thrilling rounds, Li and Nash traded hard-hitting strikes that swung the momentum back and forth. More than once, Nash moved to take Li down. But Li was able to show his impressive counter wrestling skills and submission defense, particularly at the end of the first when Nash floored him with a ferocious left hook with 1:27 left and the Chinese fighter fought off a rear-naked choke attempt.

Early in the second round, Nash appeared to capitalize off the momentum he built late in the first, dominating the boxing exchanges and landing a right cross and left hook that wobbled Li. Nash continued to press forward, landing a high percentage of strikes, including a right cross that almost sent Li back to the canvas.

But Li endured and began unloading some good combinations of his own. Then, with just over 20 seconds remaining, the Leech caught Nash’s chin with an overhand right and followed up quickly, putting Nash down with a right followed by a left hook. As Li landed a few hammer fists on the ground, the referee dashed across the stage to pull him off his dazed opponent and declared a knockout. “What a chin, what a heart, what a personality, what a fighter!” UFC commentator Jon Anik exclaimed.

The fight was low in the event’s billing, the fourth of six preliminary fights, but Li and Nash’s two-round thriller did not escape the attention of UFC President Dana White.

“I just want to point out that Li and Bobby Nash was so hard to—I thought that was Fight of the Night,” White said at the post-event news conference. “That fight was ridiculous. I’m going to give those guys a little something, too. I will give them much more than a regular ‘great fight’ bonus. I loved that fight!”

With his latest win, Li has strung two victories—both by knockout—together for the first time in the UFC; he is also gaining a reputation as a fighter who brings action-packed bouts. And though he is yet to make waves in the welterweight division, for the first time, Li certainly made a ripple.