Road to UFC: Lu Kai leads China’s charge to the big time at blockbuster Abu Dhabi event
- Chinese featherweight faces South Korean Lee Jeong-yeong in tournament semi-finals in Abu Dhabi
- ‘I am a smart fighter. I hope soon that people all around the world will know my name,’ says Lu
The Road to UFC tournament is designed to unearth previously untapped potential from across Asia, and Lu Kai knows what it means in terms of his fan base and his future.
Among the stand-out winners to emerge from the first round of the tournament in Singapore in June, the Chinese featherweight (8-3, one no contest) quickly found a connection with people all over the world, along with renewed faith in his own abilities as a fighter.
“I was really nervous as it was another step towards fulfilling my dreams,” Lu said. “You have to give everyone the impression that you are very self-confident. However, walking to the cage and in the first seconds of the fight, I was very nervous because one never knows what is going to happen.
“Then I started to move and the more I threw strikes, the more relaxed I got. I could feel on what level my opponent was, and it all became clear. I knew what to do to win.”
The tournament moves into its semi-final stages as part of the blockbuster UFC 280 event in Abu Dhabi this weekend and so far the tournament has pretty much done what it says on the box.