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Li Jingliang will soon be taking on one of his toughest opponents since joining the UFC in 2014. The Chinese fighter is set to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz.
Jingliang is no stranger to finishing his UFC bouts early, winning via TKO/KO or submission on eight occasions in his 16 fights in the organization.
In his most recent outing, 'The Leech' managed to beat Muslim Salikhov in the second round via TKO. That result will no doubt give Jingliang plenty of confidence for his next outing against Ferguson, who hasn't beaten a UFC opponent in four bouts.
However, Ferguson's four losses have come against very high-level opposition, with the veteran losing to Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush and Michael Chandler. The American's next bout against 'The Leech' will also take place at 170lbs, which is a step-up in weight for 'El Cucuy', who usually competes at 155lbs.
Li Jingliang will be hoping to add Ferguson to his long list of opponents he's finished inside the octagon. But despite losing his last four outings, 'El Cucuy' has only been finished twice, with Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler ending the fight before the judges' scorecards.
Who was the first fighter to beat Li Jingliang in professional MMA?
Li Jingliang is yet to reach the highest heights of the UFC, but does have an impressive professional MMA record of 19 wins and just seven losses during his 15-year career.
The Chinese fighter's first professional defeat came all the way back in 2010 when he faced Pat Crawley at Legend Fighting Championship. 'The Leech' went on a winning run across the next two years before once again losing in LFC, this time against Myung Ho Bae via unanimous decision.
Watch Jingliang's first defeat here:
Li Jingliang's UFC career also didn't get off to the best start, with the Chinese fighter going 2-2 in his first four bouts. 'The Leech' lost to Nordine Taleb and Keita Nakamura, but managed to get the better of Dhiego Lima and David Michaud.
Since his shaky start in the UFC, Jingliang has become a solid fighter in the welterweight division and will now face Tony Ferguson in his next bout at UFC 279.
