First, there was Tiequan Zhang, the Chinese national who has fought for the UFC five times and now the organization has announced the signing of its second Chinese fighter, Jumabieke Tuerxun. MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta has a report that the undefeated bantamweight is now a part of MMA’s top promotion.
The UFC has had an office in China for years and is looking to break into the gigantic market place but has yet to invest in many Chinese fighters themselves. The organization held an event in Macau last year that featured Rich Franklin vs. a guy we suppose the UFC thought was “Chinese enough” in the Vietnamese Cung Le.
Tuerxun is an undefeated prospect and former Legend FC champion. As Chiappetta points out, no one seems to really know for certain what his record is, but perhaps that can just be chalked up to the many mysteries of the Orient…
In any case, Tuerxun is certainly without a loss in his noteworthy professional career and it will be exciting to see what type of path he can continue to blaze for his countrymen in the sport, since China still lags a bit in terms of MMA participation.
Those of you taters that have seen him fight, let us know what you think. Does Tuerxun have a good shot at making a dent in the UFC’s uber competitive 135 pound division, and how long until he chimes in on the whole GSP War Crimes Kimono issue?
We will wait and see.
–Elias Cepeda
First, there was Tiequan Zhang, the Chinese national who has fought for the UFC five times and now the organization has announced the signing of its second Chinese fighter, Jumabieke Tuerxun. MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta has a report that the undefeated bantamweight is now a part of MMA’s top promotion.
The UFC has had an office in China for years and is looking to break into the gigantic market place but has yet to invest in many Chinese fighters themselves. The organization held an event in Macau last year that featured Rich Franklin vs. a guy we suppose the UFC thought was “Chinese enough” in the Vietnamese Cung Le.
Tuerxun is an undefeated prospect and former Legend FC champion. As Chiappetta points out, no one seems to really know for certain what his record is, but perhaps that can just be chalked up to the many mysteries of the Orient…
In any case, Tuerxun is certainly without a loss in his noteworthy professional career and it will be exciting to see what type of path he can continue to blaze for his countrymen in the sport, since China still lags a bit in terms of MMA participation.
Those of you taters that have seen him fight, let us know what you think. Does Tuerxun have a good shot at making a dent in the UFC’s uber competitive 135 pound division, and how long until he chimes in on the whole GSP War Crimes Kimono issue?
We will wait and see.
–Elias Cepeda