Zhang Tiequan and the day China made its UFC debut – ‘I knew then the country would fall in love with MMA’
- Ten years later, ‘The Wolf’ looks back on UFC 127 – the first card to host a fighter from mainland China
- ‘It really felt like I was famous already even though I am sure no one really knew who I was,’ says Zhang
It’s now the 10th anniversary of the first time a mainland Chinese fighter stepped inside the Octagon and Zhang Tiequan still remembers exactly how that moment felt.
“It was like I was a star,” recalls the now 42-year-old, speaking from his home in Beijing.
The day in question was Sunday, February 27, 2011, the card was UFC 127, and the venue was what’s now known as the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Zhang was booked to fight American featherweight Jason Reinhardt on a card headlined by the welterweight clash between future Hall of Famer B.J Penn and Jon Fitch.
Zhang headed Down Under having little to no idea about what lay ahead but it took just 48 seconds for him to basically throw four quick punches, back Reinhardt into the cage, and finish him – via guillotine choke. And history was made.