UFC 261: Meet China Academy graduates Na Liang, Aori Qileng and Rong Zhu

Shanghai Performance Institute stars make their UFC debuts this weekend, joining Zhang Weili in Jacksonville

Coach Dean Amasinger says 21-year-old Rong ‘is a phenom … definitely one to watch’

Reading Time:3 minutes

China’s UFC fighters pose with strawweight champion Zhang Weili ahead of UFC 261. Photo: Song Yadong/WeChat

Published: 11:37am, 24 Apr 2021Updated: 7:19am, 25 Apr 2021

Zhang Weili will carry the hopes of a nation with her when she defends her strawweight title against American Rose Namajunas at UFC 261 in Jacksonville this weekend. But the Chinese champion is hoping to share some of the spotlight – and success – with a new generation of fighters from her homeland as they make their UFC debuts on the card.

While Zhang (21-1) and Namajunas (9-4) are sharing top billing inside the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, the night’s fighting will open up with three graduates from the UFC’s Shanghai Performance Institute Academy on the preliminaries – Na Liang (15-4), Aori Qileng (18-6) and Rong Zhu (17-3)

“We will go together. I hope they can obtain good results and let fans across the globe learn more about the charm of Chinese athletes,” Zhang told SCMP MMA. “I’ve watched their training and they are all very good. I believe they can all definitely win.”

English fighter-turned-coach Dean Amasinger has been guiding China’s UFC hopefuls in his role as head MMA coach/MMA director at the UFC Shanghai PI ever since the US$13 million facility opened in 2019. He believes the three debut fighters on show this weekend will reflect the growth of the sport across China.

“I’ve been involved in this sport most of my life, and it’s amazing to see these young, hungry athletes coming through and trying to achieve their dreams and change their lives,” says Amasinger. “The sport is moving into the mainstream and becoming more popular. That’s also reflected in the number of regional MMA shows and the standard of fighter, not only due to the work we’re doing here in the PI but also across China. The intake for this year’s PI Academy combine was by far the best we’ve had.”