The body art is what first draws your attention to Li Kai Wen – as it covers him pretty much from knee to neck – and the Chinese bantamweight believes it is all part of a package that will soon shake up the UFC.
“From now on I am not only a fighter, you can consider me a good piece of merchandise,” Li explains. “I know I have my own value and the more I show that to the UFC and the fans the more worthy I will be.”
It was revealed on March 19 the 25-year-old from Tianjin (10-4) had made the cut for the third Academy scholarship programme at the UFC’s Performance Institute in Shanghai. “The Underdog” Li has now joined 29 athletes looking to train and fight their way into the UFC and he hopes that he’ll be making his debut inside the Octagon this year.
Li says he’ll bring something a little special when he does.
“The difference between me and other Chinese fighters is I always do what I say I will do. I am a hot-speaking guy and what I say, I do,” says Li. “My outgoing personality will definitely be different from the other Chinese fighters [in the UFC]. The goal now, and in the beginning, is to compete on an international stage and the UFC is the biggest stage in the world.”
Li has long been one of the most exciting prospects to come out of Asian MMA, and among the most enigmatic. There are those all-encompassing tattoos – uncommon in a nation that’s state broadcasters frown upon their display to the public – to go with an often-outspoken confidence.
And there’s the potential, first shown on the domestic scene and most recently as Li showcased his explosive style with the Singapore-based ONE Championship, going 9-2 overall with a current run of 4-0 dating back to the start of 2018.
Li says there is an injury problem to overcome – he won’t share exactly what – and then his sights will be set on that UFC debut. The 45 prospects to so far pass through the Shanghai Academy across two editions are on a 83-11 run across domestic fight leagues in China, while the bantamweight Heili Alateng (14-8-1) has graduated into the UFC itself, where he is 2-1.
Ahead there will be full debuts for Academy graduates in flyweight Aoriqileng (18-6), strawweight Liang Na (14-4) and lightweight Rong Zhu (17-3) on the mega UFC 261 card on April 24.
That night sees China’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili (21-1) look to defend her title against America’s former champ Rose Namajunas (9-4). Li will be watching – and waiting – and trying to add to his arsenal the all-round skills the UFC demands.
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“I am very close to being ready for the UFC,” he says. “First of all at the Academy I need to deal with an injury. They are helping me to recover. Then there is the technical side, the fighting level, and I need to be coached and assessed and to expand my fight game more.
“Then it is down to the matchmakers but I think the day for when I make my UFC debut is getting close. Once I recover from this injury, you will see the full version of Li Kai Wen.”
The move into the UFC brings to a close Li’s relationship with ONE, after the fighter had first appeared in 2014 (aged 19) and had since been touted as a possible title contender, in both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions.
But it all turned sour – at least across the fighter’s social media accounts – with Li asking for a release, and claiming he’d been “messed” with. Now, Li says, it’s time to move on and to focus on brighter days ahead.
“From now on I have no relationship with ONE FC. I don’t care about them any more. It’s done,” is how Li sums up that chapter of his life.
When SCMP MMA reaches Li at the Shanghai PI, he’s just been working out and making himself at home. There’s time to reflect on what he was put through at the PI Combine.
The rewards for the Chinese fighters invited to the UFC’s Combine are training programmes – and facilities at the US$13 million complex – hitherto unseen in China, and the promise of a contract with the UFC.
“Overall it wasn’t really a challenge for me because I had trained properly [before], says Li. “The only thing was I had never actually had the physical tests they put you through. The technology was impressive. The data they collect tells you everything you need to know about yourself.
“They tested my reaction speed, my power and my maximum strength. There were tests for Vo2 max [oxygen consumption]. For the technical tests, there was striking, wrestling and grappling. It was exciting and I felt blessed to be here. Now the most exciting thing for me is to see how deeply I can dive into the UFC, and how good I can actually be.”
Li also recently signed on with the Paradigm Sports Management group which puts him alongside the likes of former two-division champ Conor McGregor (22-5) and compatriot and No 12-ranked welterweight Li “The Leech” Jingliang (18-6).
“It’s one step closer to my goal for my life, and my career,” he says. “But this is still just the beginning.”
