Liu Ce knocks out opponent in 1st round of UFC debut in Shanghai (Video)

The UFC event held at the SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China, delivered another intense and spectacular fight to the fans. In the light heavyweight division, former K-1 kickboxing champion Liu Ce of China faced dangerous Brazilian Levi Rodriguez Jr., who entered the league via Dana White's Contender Series, in his promotional debut.

Despite having only four professional MMA fights, Liu Ce, who was considered the favorite in this matchup, fully lived up to the expectations of his home crowd and ended the bout in the very first round with a devastating finish.

A strike to the temple and a lightning-fast right hook

The fight began from the opening seconds with an uncompromising and open exchange of strikes from both sides:

• Initial pressure: Early in the bout, Levi Rodriguez Jr. looked quite active and managed to rock the Chinese athlete with several precise strikes;

• Turning point — Knockdown: Midway through the first round, Liu Ce landed a powerful blow to his opponent's exposed temple, knocking Rodriguez off balance and sending him into a heavy knockdown;

• The fall and the final point: Although the Brazilian fighter tried to get back on his feet and recover with counter-strikes, his legs could not maintain balance. Shortly after, following a powerful right hook from Liu Ce, Rodriguez fell face-first onto the canvas, and the referee immediately stopped the fight, recording a clean knockout (KO).

The bright future of the kickboxing star in MMA

Such a confident and sensational start for the K-1 champion in the UFC showed that a new dangerous knockout artist has arrived in the light heavyweight division:

• Confident debut: Despite the small number of MMA fights on his record, Liu Ce left his opponent no chance thanks to his high-level striking technique;

• Applause from Shanghai fans: The home fighter's quick 1st-round victory brought the crowd to its feet and paved a wide path for him toward stronger opponents in the division.