UFC 259: ‘Kung Fu Monkey’ Song Yadong learns from ‘The Leech’ Li Jingliang as he plots more Chinese success
- ‘He’s a fighter everyone in China admires, an inspiration,’ Song says of training with veteran Li at Team Alpha Male
- ‘I’ve known him for such a long time but we’ve never had the chance to train together and live together’
Bantamweight prospect Song Yadong believes he can feed off the success of his countrymen when he steps into the Octagon to face American Kyler Phillips at UFC 259 in Las Vegas this weekend.
“I have been watching other Chinese fighters win this year and now it’s my turn,” the 23-year-old told SCMP MMA. “This is ‘China power’ and we are learning from each other.”
The global pandemic has wreaked havoc on the pre-fight routines of fighters everywhere over the past 12 months but Song has been among those lucky enough to find a positive among the many and constant disruptions.
Pandemic-enforced travel restrictions have seen Song joined at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California, by the veteran Chinese welterweight Li “The Leech” Jingliang (18-6) and a rising flyweight star in “The Tibetan Eagle” Su Mudaerji (14-4) – both of whom already have chalked up wins inside the Octagon in 2021 before returning home to China.
The No 3-ranked strawweight Yan “Fury” Xiaonan (13-1, one no contest) has also spent considerable time in California but it has been the wise words of the 12th-ranked Li – a veteran of seven years in the UFC, and 14 inside the MMA cage – that have made the biggest mark on Song, as he looks to further his own career with the UFC.