UFC: China’s Rong Zhu poised to cash in on potential Fight of the Night bonus
- ‘I have worked so hard for this fight. I want the KO and I want the bonus and that’s all I want to say,’ says Rong
- Rong will face another explosive fighter in the Chile-born Ignacio Bahamondes, whose talent shows no end of upside
Rong Zhu says he is a fast learner and that’s a handy trait to carry into his UFC career, given the Chinese lightweight is the youngest fighter on the books of the world’s dominant MMA promotion.
It also goes some way towards explaining how the 21-year-old from northwestern Sichuan opened his UFC account with a loss that he should have won against the Mexican Rodrigo Vargas (12-4) last April, coming home hard in the final round after appearing – from the outside at least – to be a little caught up in the occasion of his debut.
Then there were no such worries second time around as the world got to see just why there’s such a buzz about Rong (18-4), who came into the UFC on a 10-0 run and with a reputation of having all the tools needed in the trade.
Against American Brandon Jenkins (15-8) last September, Rong looked pretty much unbeatable, as his full array of skills were on display both on his feet and on the ground, and three rounds of domination led to a stunning late knockout victory.
“I failed,” is how Rong explains his first introduction to the UFC. “So getting that first win means a lot to me. I wanted to win to prove myself to everybody, especially after my first fight. To be a UFC fighter is the most important thing to me. It’s the biggest thing for all MMA fighters. But you have to win, you have to build your career. So after that first win I have to come out and do it again, I have to start building my career here in the UFC.”
And that all leads Rong – and us – to this weekend’s UFC Vegas 49 out of the Apex facility and a match-up that will hopefully deliver on its promise, too.