Following the start of this year’s Road to UFC tournaments at the end of last month, the time looked right to highlight some of the top MMA prospects coming out of China.
I stuck with the same parameters used for our “Top 25 Prospects Worldwide” to put this list together. That means that Jiniushiyue, Ahejiang Ailinuer, and Bin Xie were all omitted (due to total pro fights) despite their recent wins on RTU. I probably still would have kept them off anyway given that Xie may get offered a UFC contract following his win in a non-tournament fight, and Jiniushiyue and Ahejiang are both headed to the RTU semifinals following their respective victories.
Naerti Kezibayi: Featherweight, Age 25, 13-1
I highlighted Naerti back in January ahead of what ended up being a third-round victory over Hubulan Tuerxunbieke at JCK Fight Night 115, and he was an immediate lock for my Top 5 when I started putting this list together.
Naerti is a southpaw that utilizes a diverse kicking game while also relying heavily on his left straight as both a lead and counter shot. He’s also happy to clinch up in order to land knees to the head or look for trip takedowns. The 25-year-old can bring things to the mat with double leg attempts in open space, and he does boast several submissions on his record to go along with his ability to land heavy ground and pound.
The victory over Tuerxunbieke brought Naerti’s overall win streak to 12 fights, and he was scheduled to return in March at JCK Kings 012 but unfortunately missed weight and the fight was scrapped. That may be something worth keeping an eye on after he also missed weight ahead of what would have been a title-winning performance against Jizheng Wang in January of last year, but he’s still clearly one of the most promising talents out of China.
Regezhen: Featherweight, Age 25, 11-2
Shawn Bitter picked Regezhen as the Chinese representative for his “Global Watchlist” earlier this year. He came within one scorecard of advancing to this year’s RTU semifinals, but he ended up dropping a split decision to Dagiisuren Chagnaadorj.
Boasting a heavy right hand, Regezhen likes to really pick his shots and will go to both the head and body with his punches. He also mixes in kicks with his lead leg and will go high with it after switching into southpaw, and if an opponent covers up along the fence the 25-year-old will start to get considerably more aggressive and open up with his strikes. His solid takedown defense was on display against Chagnaadorj, and he also has two wins via submission and flashed a submission attempt against Chagnaadorj when the latter fighter did end up on top during their RTU bout.
Regezhen started a bit slow against Chagnaadorj before he really turned things up in the second round, but then he appeared to fade a bit in the final frame before a late burst of offense in the last minute or so. I expect that he’ll learn from that setback, and I’m excited to see how he looks his next time out.
Yixiemu: Bantamweight, Age 20, 12-2
Yixiemu actually picked up his fourth-straight win at JCK Kings 014 while I was working on this list. I’ve included him in the Top 5 due to the significant upside he offers, as he’s only 20 years old and has already put together a solid body of work.
Remarkably composed and confident on the feet for someone so young, Yixiemu likes to utilize lots of feints and chip away at opponents before bursting forward with flurries of strikes. He’ll also answer with multiple shots on the counter and attack the legs with hard low kicks as either a single shot or to end his combinations.
The 20-year-old competed at flyweight for the majority of his career but moved up to bantamweight for his last two fights. Yixiemu hasn’t found a ton of finishes so far, but he’s looked very promising and still has all kinds of time to further develop his skills.
Hailai Wushamo: Strawweight, Age 25, 10-1
Winner of nine-straight fights, Hailai’s list of victories included a unanimous decision over current UFC fighter Ming Shi in 2021. Haili was competing in her third pro fight at the time, while Ming had already put together a 12-4 record.
The 25-year-old hasn’t faced an especially high level of competition since beating Ming, but she’s stopped four opponents and has been able to showcase her wrestling skills across this nine-fight win streak. She’s actually yet to find a submission after bringing things to the ground, as she’s happy to control her opposition and try to land ground and pound in order to force a stoppage.
I’d definitely like to see Haili make some more significant developments in her striking, but so far her takedowns and skills on the mat have been more than enough to overwhelm most of the opponents she’s faced.
Qubiguqian: Bantamweight, Age 22, 5-0
I went back and forth on whether Qubiguqian should crack the Top 5 given the small sample size available for him, but he’s another fighter where youth and his performances thus far are enough to make him a serious prospect worth watching.
A southpaw, Qubiguqian loves to put opponents on the back foot and will regularly pump out his lead hand before committing to a hard left straight. He’s heavily reliant on the left hand but will also start to commit to his jab after opponents start biting on his frequent feints. He’ll also quickly grab ahold of an opponent’s head and look to land knees if they get too close, and he mixes in a variety of kicks to go along with his heavy punches.
The 22-year-old has shown off some solid takedown defense, and his height and reach are huge assets over a lot of the opposition he’ll encounter at bantamweight. Qubiguqian is scheduled to return against Hulan Bateeraili (8-7-1) at JCK Fight Night 120 later this month.
Honorable Mentions
Zhahaer Biekenuer: Bantamweight, Age 26, 13-4
Zhahaer could be a strong candidate for RTU next year if he’s able to build off the momentum of his last two wins.
Coming off an impressive second-round submission of former JCK titleholder and 57-fight veteran Dulile in his last outing, Zhahaer is a well-rounded fighter that has secured wins via six different types of submissions. He’s won back-to-back fights since dropping a decision to Rustamzhon Negmatov, who came into that matchup with an undefeated record of 10-0.
Yilizhati Maimaitijiang: Middleweight, Age 25, 7-1
The only fighter above featherweight included in this piece, Yilizhati suffered his first career loss last year but returned to the win column with a first-round finish in January.
All but one of Yilizhati’s wins have come inside the first round, and the only time he’s even seen a third round was when he dropped a unanimous decision to Maksim Lylov last October. That fight definitely exposed a bit of a gap in his wrestling, but he’s got a huge frame for the middleweight division and should continue improving given that he’s still only 25 years old.
Other Chinese prospects to keep an eye on: Lizi Congwu, Gexiyengchu, Zeqiuduoji
