Rivalries: Jingliang Li

Jingliang Li has exceeded even the most optimistic expectations since he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster a little more than eight years ago.

The Sanford MMA rep will toe the line against the surging Muslim Salikhov in a UFC on ABC 3 welterweight feature this Saturday at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Li has rattled off eight victories across his past 11 assignments. However, he finds himself on the rebound after being choked unconscious by the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in the first round of their UFC 267 pairing on Oct. 30. The 34-year-old Xinjiang, China, native carries a 10-5 record inside the Octagon.

As Li moves ever closer to his showdown with Salikhov at 170 pounds, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Keita Nakamura

The former Sengoku and Shooto Pacific Rim champion put Lee to sleep with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 75 welterweight prelim on Sept. 26, 2015 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Nakamura closed it out 2:17 into Round 3. Li recovered from a rough first round to shine in the second. There, the China Top Team export battered Nakumura with body-head combinations, hammered away with a stabbing jab, drove him to the mat with an overhand left and let loose with ground-and-pound. The assault resulted in a bloody nose for Nakamura and left him to move forward in a diminished capacity. Appearing to pull away, Li sprawled out of a takedown in the third round but met with a false sense of security. Nakamura scrambled to his back and cinched the standing rear-naked choke in a blink. Li went limp while still on his feet, collapsing face first to the canvas. He had never before been finished.

Frank Camacho

Li claimed a unanimous verdict over the onetime Pacific Xtreme Combat titleholder as part of the UFC Fight Night 111 undercard on June 17, 2017 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. All three cageside judges scored it for the China Top Team star: 29-27, 28-27 and 29-27. Camacho dazed “The Leech” with a series of clubbing right hands in the first round. Li withstood the assault and gradually gained a foothold in the match. Operating behind a punishing jab, he mixed in lunging right hands and rolling lefts to keep Camacho guessing. However, a commitment to low kicks paved his way. Li battered the inside and outside of his opponent’s lead leg, chipped away at his base and methodically wore down his resolve. By the time it was over, Camacho was clearly compromised and unable to mount a comeback.

Jake Matthews

“The Ultimate Fighter Nations” graduate walked away with a unanimous decision over Li in their UFC 221 welterweight showcase on Feb. 10, 2018 at Perth Arena in Perth, Australia. Scores were 29-28, 30-26 and 30-26. Matthews set the stone from the start, as he floored Li with a left hand in the first round, swooped into top position and achieved full mount before battering the China Top Team mainstay with ground-and-pound, advancing to the back and hunting the choke. Cut by an inadvertent head butt early in the middle stanza, Matthews clamped down on a tight guillotine in a bid to dodge further adversity. A desperate Li freed himself by blatantly gouging his counterpart’s eye but somehow managed to avoid a point deduction. Matthews kept his cool, switched gears in the third round and chopped down Li with a right cross, then polished off the win with a takedown in the waning moments.

Neil Magny

The Elevation Fight Team stalwart dazzled in his return from a 16-month layoff, as he mauled Li across three rounds and cruised to a lopsided unanimous decision in their UFC 248 welterweight feature on March 7, 2020 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Magny. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 16 semifinalist executed takedowns in all three rounds and wrecked Li in the clinch, where he utilized knee strikes to the body and head, short punches and shoulder strikes. Magny outstruck “The Leech” by a 123-16 margin by the time their 15-minute encounter reached its conclusion and piled up more than five minutes of control time.

Santiago Ponzinibbio

Li filled in for the aforementioned Salikhov and knocked out the American Top Team-trained Argentinian in their UFC on ABC 1 welterweight attraction on Jan. 16, 2021 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In his first appearance in more than two years, Ponzinibbio packed his bags 4:25 into Round 1. Li bided his time during an extended feeling-out process, mixing in leg kicks while he waited for openings to present themselves. Ponzinibbio misfired on a chopping right hand that left him out of position and vulnerable to the counter. Li sent a sweeping left hook crashing into his chin, followed him to the canvas and delivered a final hammerfist before referee Jason Herzog could intervene.