Weili Zhang and Li Jingliang were a one-two punch atop the UFC Shenzhen card, and both earned Performance of the Night bonuses.
UFC Shenzhen forced MMA fans in the west to be up early (or stay up late), and on paper was a throwaway card outside a couple of key fights. As so often is the case, however, a lineup that failed to inspire over-performed, meaning those who did wake up before the rooster crowed were greeted with an entertaining morning of fights.
Those included the main and co-main events, both of which saw winning fighters awarded with Performance of the Night bonuses. The co-feature had Li Jingliang, known to UFC fans everywhere as ‘The Leech,’ earning his fifth post-fight bonus in his last six fights after a late third-round TKO of Elizeau Zaleski dos Santos. Jingliang (17–5) was all set to win a decision, but with nine seconds remaining, managed for force the stoppage, setting up the sequence with an uppercut.
In the main event, meanwhile, Weili Zhang took just 42 seconds to become the first Chinese champion in UFC history. Her TKO of Jessica Andrade will resonate for weeks and months to come. But in the meantime, Zhang has improved to 20-1, with a 20-fight win streak. She’s now the UFC’s strawweight champion, and the division is wide open in terms of contenders.
Who got FOTN for an extra 💰 50k?
Alateng vs Batgerel | B2YB @ToyoTires #UFCShenzhen pic.twitter.com/Oj495QArdn
— UFC (@ufc) August 31, 2019
Fight of the Night honors at UFC Shenzhen, meanwhile, went to bantamweights Alateng Heili and Danaa Batgerel. They featured in a close bout that saw Heili fall back on his wrestling skills to take home a unanimous decision win.
All four fighters will pick up $50,000 for their efforts.
