Shi Ming snatched a UFC contract in spectacular fashion in the Road to UFC strawweight finale, putting Feng Xiaocan to sleep with a thudding head kick in the opening minutes of the third round.
Feng never stood up after that. After an initial inspection, she was stretchered out by medical professionals and taken immediately to a local hospital. The UFC broadcast reported that the 22-year-old was conscious and talking at the time she was placed on the stretcher.
Shi, who is currently on a five-fight win streak, earned not just a contract but also a $50,000 Performance of the Night award.
Zhang Weili, the first Asian UFC champion and current women’s strawweight titleholder, watched the match and was caught on camera expressing her excitement over Shi’s knockout, stating it made her “hair stand on end.”
Since 2020, Shi has reportedly claimed 12 MMA championships across China, South Korea, and Myanmar. But what makes this victory significant? Her story.
ALSO READ | UFC 311 main card announced: Makhachev, Dvalishvili to defend titles
Shi, nicknamed Dr. Sleep, is a full-time medical practitioner specialising in acupuncture. Hailing from Heilongjiang, China, the grappler began training in taekwondo when she was 13 and transitioned to MMA in her 20s. Despite her 5’2” stature, she has developed a striking prowess and fierce fighting style, allowing her to maintain an impressive 17-5 professional record.
Following her Road to UFC win, Shi shared that her parents remain unaware of her MMA career, believing she participates in traditional martial arts. “I don’t think I’m going to mention it to them,” Shi was quoted as saying. “For my parents, they are traditional Chinese parents, and they worry about me. Only a doctor or a lawyer; I don’t have other choices,” she added.
Shi emphasised that she would continue participating in the UFC and established that she would be a force to reckon with. “I think I’m going to be a dangerous opponent in the future. Good luck to my next opponent.”
Pantoja vs Asakura
Pantoja’s most recent outing was an astounding success, as he secured a first-round knockout win over Australia’s Steve Erceg at UFC 305 in May earlier this year. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Alexandre Pantoja will defend his flyweight title for the fourth time when he faces Japan’s Kai Asakura at the T-Mobile Arena in the main event of UFC 310.
Pantoja’s most recent outing was an astounding success, as he secured a first-round knockout win over Australia’s Steve Erceg at UFC 305 in May earlier this year.
On the other hand, the Japanese MMA star has won 21 of 25 fights in his career so far and now has the chance to become his country’s first champion against one of the greatest flyweights in history.
Meanwhile, the supposed welterweight title bout had to be scrapped after Belal Muhammad suffered a bone infection in his foot in October.
Read our other UFC stories - HERE
Muhammad shared the news in a social media post. “Caught a bone infection in my foot,” Muhammad wrote. “Had to put a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line in my arm for IV antibiotics for the next six weeks with no physical activity,” he added.
Muhammad, aka Remember the Name, clinched the title with a unanimous decision victory over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July. He is unbeaten in his past 11 bouts and hasn’t faced a defeat in nearly six years. Meanwhile, Rakhmonov earned his first UFC championship opportunity with a second-round submission of Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 this past December. Nomad, as his moniker goes, has finished all 18 of the opponents he’s faced as a professional.
Welterweight number seven Ian Machado Garry was roped in as the replacement, and the bout will now be a co-main event instead of a title fight.
Further down the main card, an unusual phenomenon continued for the second straight time as former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling’s fight was scheduled in the preliminary round.
The Funk Master will take on Russia’s Movslav Evloev in a featherweight bout as a build-up to the main card.
Sterling, after a crushing knockout loss against Sean O’Malley last year, returned to winning ways with a unanimous decision win over Calvin Kattar earlier this year. The 35-year-old will look to replicate his own win streak he maintained a while ago when he defended his bantamweight title three times in a row.
“I’m pretty confident. I would like to think we did a lot of proper and good training work preparing for this fight. I was supposed to fight him (Evloev) earlier this year, but I suffered an injury. But thankfully, that gave me the time to prepare. So, let’s see who the better fighter is and who will get a shot at the title,” said Sterling in an exclusive chat with Sportstar.
However, his biggest problem will be to break the confidence of Evloev, who is yet to taste a loss in his professional career. Since his UFC debut back in 2019, the 30-year-old has registered eight straight wins and has 18 wins overall in his career as an MMA pro.
“Just what happens in the cage is all that matters. At the end of the day, you’re fighting a person, not the record,” Sterling remarked.
UFC 310 will be the final numbered event of the year. The series will resume next year on January 19 with UFC 311, for which the cards have yet to be announced.
Comments
SHARE