LAS VEGAS – Things went fairly well for Li Jingliang in the wake of a crisis in his home country.
In preparation for his UFC 248 bout with Neil Magny (21-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC), Jingliang (17-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) said he wasn’t too affected by the recent outbreak of coronavirus that’s been spreading worldwide. Though he was not infected with the virus, he was forced to leave his home earlier than expected in order to be able to enter the U.S. to compete Saturday.
“The virus didn’t impact us very much and our government and medical team are handling the virus pretty good in China,” Jingliang told MMA Junkie at a Thursday media day in Las Vegas. “Because the U.S. shut down all the flights that directly come from China, I had to stay in a third country for 14 days. I had to stay in Thailand, then come to the U.S. We hope that everything will be good in the end.
“I mainly trained in Beijing, China, out of China Top Team and we went to Thailand – and if I didn’t go to Thailand, I could’ve came to the U.S. earlier to get the jet lag down. But we have a very powerful team, so we handled that pretty well.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Jingliang said his biggest issues were prepping for Magny rather than dealing with and avoiding the virus.
“The virus didn’t impact us that much,” Jingliang said. “Most of my preparation was toward my opponent because he’s very tall and has a long reach, and we had to make a strategy based on him.
“The Chinese government is controlling the whole thing in China, but I do hope my victory can inspire the Chinese nation.”
The 31-year-old currently is on a three-fight winning streak and 7-1 in his past eight bouts. There’s little doubt a win over a veteran like Magny would be big for Jingliang’s career.
“This victory means so much to me,” Jingliang said. “I know that Magny has beaten former champs, so beating him means I’m qualified for top 10, and I will never underestimate my opponent. The whole nation is watching this, so I’m not going to let the victory get away from me.”
