Rising lightweight prospect Rong Zhu scored his first UFC victory earlier tonight (Sat., Sept. 18, 2021) at UFC Vegas 37 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the 21-year-old sensation stopped short-notice filler Brandon Jenkins via third-round TKO (punches).
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STRAWWEIGHT CONTENDERS COLLIDE! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns home to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., May 20, 2023, with No. 7-ranked women’s Strawweight contender, Mackenzie Dern, testing her high-powered submission skills against No. 13-seeded Angela Hill. In UFC Vegas 73’s ESPN+-streamed co-main event, Anthony Hernandez will lock horns with Edmen Shahbazyan in a showdown between talented Middleweight up-and-comers.
Jenkins held his own in the early going with wild spinning attacks and good counter shots, but it was the wrestling and pressure of Zhu that proved to be the biggest difference. The Chinese prospect certainly landed his own shots on the feet, but he did most of his damage with heavy ground-and-pound. Jenkins started to wilt towards the end of the third round and Zhu turned up the heat to find the finish.
Check out the video highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
Zhu is one of the more exciting prospects to hit the UFC roster in a long time. Even at the age of 21 he’s already logged 22 professional fights with 16 equally-impressive finishes. Tonight’s dominant win over Jenkins is just a sign of things to come from the talented lightweight.
For complete UFC Vegas 37 results and coverage click HERE.
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