Li Jingliang

The Leech

China

Out
Injury Back
Est. Return 6/1/2024
Cannot fight Chiesa
WelterweightUFC
Out
April 3, 2023
Jingliang withdrew from fighting Michael Chiesa at UFC 287 because of a spinal injury, according to MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
On Instagram, Jingliang announced he suffered the spinal injury during his fight camp. It is unclear when the Chinese welterweight can return, but he will not fight at UFC 287 and could be out a while if surgery is required. So unfortunately for Jingliang, he must wait a bit longer before getting an opportunity to avenge his split-decision loss against Daniel Rodriguez.
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Booked for UFC 287
WelterweightUFC
Out
February 3, 2023
Jingliang will fight Michael Chiesa at UFC 287 on April 8, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Jingliang is coming off a loss in his most recent fight against Daniel Rodriguez in September. He has split his last six fights and will look to avoid dropping consecutive bouts for the first time in his career.
Victim of questionable decision
WelterweightUFC
Out
September 10, 2022
Li lost to Daniel Rodriguez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 28-29) at UFC 279 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It's not the worst decision of all time, but if you polled everyone who watched the fight, far more people would have scored it for Li than Rodriguez. It's an especially tough break for the only fighter on this card who was stuck fighting an opponent considerably bigger than him following all the reshuffling. While Rodriguez went head hunting the entire fight, Li varied his attacks. He fired off plenty of kicks and attempted to work the body. Li also never appeared to be hurt at any point during the bout, although he did eat plenty of jabs. All that said, Li will come out of all this an even bigger star than before the week began due to his willingness to step into the Octagon against anybody, no questions asked.
Opponent swaps to Daniel Rodriguez
WelterweightUFC
Out
September 9, 2022
Jingliang was included the trio of fights swapping opponents at Saturday's UFC 279. He will square off against Daniel Rodriguez.
ANALYSIS
Jingliang was originally scheduled to take on Tony Ferguson on the card, but a medical issue for Khamzat Chimaev that forced Chimaev to stop cutting weight resulted in a trio of opponent swaps. The final result is Jingling facing Rodriguez, while Tony Ferguson shifts to the co-main event versus Nate Diaz.
To fight Ferguson at UFC 279
WelterweightUFC
Out
August 20, 2022
Jingliang is expected to take on Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 on Sept. 10, Marc Raimondi of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
The fight was announced during the UFC 278 post-fight press conference, and while UFC President Dana White didn't specify the weight class, it would make more sense for Ferguson to move up to welterweight than Jingliang to attempt a cut to lightweight. It's a fantastic opportunity for "The Leech," as he'll take on an incredibly popular fighter, but also one who is 38 years old and on a four-fight skid. Ferguson will have a five-inch reach advantage when the cage doors close, as well as a striking volume edge, but Jingliang will have a slight height advantage. He also has a bit more offensive wrestling in his arsenal, but he'll have to be careful there given how dangerous Ferguson can be off his back.
Pulls upset on Long Island
WelterweightUFC
Out
July 16, 2022
Li defeated Muslim Salikhov via TKO (punches) at 4:38 of Round 2 at UFC on ABC 3 on Saturday on Long Island.
ANALYSIS
Li was blitzed by Khamzat Chimaev in his most recent bout, tapping out in just over three minutes last October, but we all know how good Khamzat is, and Li did an excellent job of getting right back in the win column here. It took Li the better part of a round to find his range in this one. He sat back and began to pick Salikhov apart on the feet in Round 2 as his opponent clearly began to tire. Li eventually crushed Salikhov with a right hand which led to the circumstances which forced referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and end the bout. In the end, the effort earned him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Li is 34 years of age and unlikely to ever reach the level of the top welterweights on the UFC roster, but he has plenty of ability and should remain a mainstay in the division for years to come.