“I may be able to knock him out in the first or second round” - Zhang Lipeng believes his fight with Ruslan Emilbek Uulu will not go the distance

Zhang Lipeng’s dreams of becoming a world champion hinges on stringing together impressive wins to earn his shot. On January 28, the Chinese star will look to make a statement by getting a quick win against an old friend in Ruslan Emilbek Uulu at ONE: Only the Brave.

Zhang had a dominant run in the Chinese MMA scene and looks to replicate his success on the global stage. He has already started his journey in the promotion on the right note. Zhang defeated former ONE world champion Eduard Folayang back in July 2021 at ONE: Battleground II.

In an interview with ONE Championship, ‘The Warrior’ revealed a connection with his upcoming opponent:

“We both went to Xi’an Physical Education University for training, so we are fellow apprentices. And yes, I’m impressed by him.”

Zhang noted that he knows ‘Snow Leopard’ is undefeated in China. While he says he is impressed by his opponent, Lipeng believes he is still the superior fighter based on Uulu’s last fight:

“Last time, he fought three full rounds, but I didn’t see a lot of techniques. He was just rushing forward, and I didn’t see any effective attacks after he took down his opponent. So, he actually has no advantage in ground wrestling over me.”

Uulu’s run of 12 straight victories was snapped in his ONE Championship debut against Yoshiki Nakahara at featherweight. However, a move to his natural weight class got him back on the winning track. He defeated previously-ranked lightweight contender Pieter Buist in October 2021 at ONE: Next Gen III.

Uulu will certainly provide a tough test for Zhang Lipeng in the Chinese fighter's second outing in ONE Championship. However, the 31-year-old Zhang is confident that he will come out on top:

“Like the last bout, I’m ready to fight three full rounds. But if I can control the game and give my best, I may be able to knock him out in the first or second round.”

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No shortage of opponents for Zhang Lipeng in the lightweight division

Zhang Lipeng has previously called out all the best lightweights in ONE Championship, starting with Eddie Alvarez and No. 3-ranked Shinya Aoki.

However, he admits that as a newcomer, he is still not too familiar with the fighters he can call out in the division:

“I just listen to the arrangement. I [would've] just fought two bouts, so I wouldn’t have many ideas.”

Should Aoki or Alvarez continue to decline his challenge, Zhang will have plenty of formidable opponents to choose from in one of the most stacked divisions in ONE Championship.

Former UFC stars Sage Northcutt and Yoshihiro Akiyama are high-profile opponents he could consider. Former world champion Marat Gafurov is not even in the top five of the division.

Then there is Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protege Saygid Izagakhmaev. The Dagestani prospect bagged one of the first performance bonuses in 2022 and now sits at No. 5 in the lightweight rankings.

Christian Lee (ranked No. 1), Dagi Arslanaliev (2) and Iuri Lapicus (4) make up the rest of the top five in the division.