WATCH: Chinese menace Zhang Lipeng unloads brutish power in vicious knockout of Hiroyuki Tetsuka at ONE Fight Night 28

Zhang Lipeng made a resounding statement in uncharted territory, kicking off a new chapter in his career with a stunning victory at ONE Fight Night 28 on Friday, Feb. 7.

The former lightweight standout took his first step in a higher weight class in spectacular fashion, pulling off an upset against welterweight mainstay Hiroyuki Tetsuka in a 178.5-pound catchweight MMA bout.

Check out the highlights of that matchup below:

Competing under the bright lights of Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium live in U.S. primetime, 'The Warrior' showcased his striking prowess from the opening bell.

The Chinese hard-hotter patiently measured Tetsuka, rocking him with a stiff jab before unleashing a thunderous left hook that sent his Japanese opponent crashing to the canvas.

Wasting no time, Zhang swarmed with a relentless barrage of ground strikes, forcing the referee to step in at the 2:06 mark of the first round.

With this emphatic finish, Zhang notched his 27th career stoppage, improved his win-loss card to 35-13, and walked away with a well-earned $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

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Dagi Arslanaliev set to join Zhang Lipeng at welterweight

Zhang Lipeng isn’t the only lightweight making the leap to welterweight this month.

Turkish powerhouse Dagi Arslanaliev is also set to test the waters in a higher division when he faces Croatian knockout artist Roberto Soldic at ONE 171 on March 23 at Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.

A longtime force at 170 pounds, Arslanaliev has built his reputation on explosive takedowns and ruthless ground-and-pound, scoring eight stoppage victories under the ONE Championship banner.

A dominant performance against Soldic could instantly place him in welterweight title contention — potentially setting the stage for a rematch with reigning two-division king Christian Lee.