Enter the Dragon: The Rise of China in MMA

 

Ma Hao Bin victorious after submitting Bu Huo You Ga in the night's bantamweight tournament final at One Wujie: Dynasty of Champions. REUTERS

At ONE: Dynasty of Champions in Changsha, China, last month, local Chinese fighters put up a spectacular performance, scoring five first-round finishes. This just goes to show the wealth of raw talent in China, highlighting the importance of ONE Championship’s foray into the market.

However, the results should really not come as a surprise, especially given how these young MMA fighters were presented with a chance to compete on such a grand stage as the ONE Championship. Breaking into the sport is never easy, as thousands of young men and women are training hard every day to catch the eye of a promoter.

The night began in spectacular fashion, when Changsha native Bu Huo You Ga went for broke and opened the show with a bulldog choke submission of Cai Chang Bo in just over two minutes in the night’s Bantamweight Tournament semi-final.

In the other semi-final was Ma Hao Bin, who opened his account by submitting Wu Ting Shen in 27 seconds with a guillotine choke.

Ma then followed that success with another guillotine in 1:08 on Bu in the Tournament final to emerge the winner with a total fight time of just 95 seconds.

The Tournament’s reserve bout—held in case of injury to the main competitors—ended in similar fashion with a highlight-reel finish. Tang De Fen knocked Zhou Biao in 59 seconds when he landed a powerful slam.

Elsewhere on the fight card, 21-year-old former Tournament winner Wu Ze returned to the promotion this weekend and recorded his first career knockout by landing soccer kicks on Zhang You Liang inside of the opening round.

There truly is no better way to make a name for yourself than with an impressive highlight-reel finish, and it is plain to see Chinese fighters know that. — Reuters