Yao Zhikui (born February 7, 1991) was a Chinese mixed martial artist who competed as a Flyweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Yao Zhikui
BornYao Zhikui
(1991-02-07) February 7, 1991 (age 33)
Henan, China
Other namesThe Conqueror
NationalityChinese
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1]
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st)
DivisionFlyweight
Reach64.0 in (163 cm)[2]
Fighting out ofBeijing, China
TeamChina Top Team
Rank[3]
Years active2012-present
Mixed martial arts record
Total8
Wins3
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision1
Losses5
By knockout2
By submission0
By decision3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background edit

Originally Henan Province of Central China, Yao competed in wrestling and trained in Sanda before moving to Beijing in order to pursue a career in professional mixed martial arts. Yao began training under the tutelage of former UFC Lightweight Zhang Tiequan.[3]

Mixed martial arts career edit

Early career edit

Yao made his professional debut in 2012, and compiled a record of 1 - 1, before getting the opportunity to appear on The Ultimate Fighter.[4]

The Ultimate Fighter: China edit

In the fall of 2013, it was announced that Yao had been selected as one of the bantamweight participants for Team Sky Dragons on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter: China.[5]

In his first fight, Yao faced Allen Chong. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

In the semifinal fight, Yao faced off against Yang Jianping. He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently eliminated from the competition.

Ultimate Fighting Championship edit

Yao made his promotional debut on August 23, 2014 in a flyweight bout against Royston Wee at UFC Fight Night 48.[6] He lost the fight via split decision.[7]

Yao faced Nolan Ticman on May 16, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 66.[8] He won the fight via split decision.[9]

Yao next faced Fredy Serrano on November 28, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 79.[10] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round after Yao severely injured his arm while trying to defend a takedown.[11]

Yao was expected to face promotional newcomer Jenel Lausa on October 15, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 97.[12] However, the promotion announced on October 6 that they had cancelled the event entirely.[13][14] In turn, the pairing was quickly rescheduled and is expected to take place on November 27, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 101.[15] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[16]

Mixed martial arts record edit

Professional record breakdown
8 matches 3 wins 5 losses
By knockout 1 2
By submission 1 0
By decision 1 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 3–5 Augustin Delarmino Jr. TKO (punches) CKF Macau August 10, 2017 2 N/A Macau
Win 3–4 Swapnil TKO (punches) CKF 115 July 7, 2017 1 1:44 Xiangxi, China Return to Bantamweight.
Loss 2–4 Jenel Lausa Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson November 27, 2016 3 5:00 Melbourne, Australia
Loss 2–3 Fredy Serrano TKO (arm injury) UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal November 28, 2015 1 0:44 Seoul, South Korea
Win 2–2 Nolan Ticman Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber May 16, 2015 3 5:00 Pasay, Philippines Flyweight debut.
Loss 1–2 Royston Wee Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le August 23, 2014 3 5:00 Macau, SAR, China
Win 1–1 Doayuan Wang Submission (arm-triangle choke) RUFF 9 May 18, 2013 1 0:37 Sanya, China
Loss 0–1 Takayuki Iijima N/A Real Fight MMA Championship 1 December 1, 2012 N/A N/A Zhengzhou, China Bantamweight debut.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Edgar vs. Faber". UFC.com. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  2. ^ "Yao Zuikui Official Fighter Profile". ufc.com. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Yao Zhikui - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  4. ^ Mike Whitman (2013-11-16). "Cung Le, Tiequan Zhang, Hailin Ao to Coach 16-Fighter 'TUF: China' cast". shedog.com. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
  5. ^ Staff (2013-11-19). "TUF: China cast revealed, Cung Le to act as chief coach". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  6. ^ Andrew Ravens (2014-07-13). "UFC Fight Night 48 gets five bouts added to the card". mmafrenzy.com. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  7. ^ Dann Stupp (2014-08-16). "UFC Fight Night 48 results: Royston Wee survives Yao Zhikui's late rally". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  8. ^ Staff (2014-08-11). "Nordine Taleb-Jingliang Li Welterweight Bout Added to Oct. 4 UFC Fight Night in Halifax". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  9. ^ Ben Fowlkes (2015-05-16). "UFC Fight Night 66 results: Yao Zhikui takes split after chasing down Nolan Ticman". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  10. ^ "Fights confirmed for UFC Seoul". foxsportsasia.com. September 4, 2015.
  11. ^ Dann Stupp (2015-11-28). "UFC Fight Night 79 results: Fredy Serrano sets record, stops injured Yao Zhikui". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  12. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2016-09-14). "TUF China alum Yao Zhikui meets newcomer Jenel Lausa at UFC Fight Night 97". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  13. ^ Staff (2016-10-06). "UFC Fight Night Manila: Lamas vs. Penn to be rescheduled". ufc.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  14. ^ Staff (2016-10-06). "After B.J. Penn's withdrawal, UFC cancels next week's UFC Fight Night 97 event in Philippines". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  15. ^ Anton Tabuena (2016-10-12). "UFC Manila's Lausa vs Zhikui re-booked for UFN: Rockhold vs Jacare 2". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  16. ^ Steven Marrocco (2016-11-27). "UFC Fight Night 101 results: Jenel Lausa busts up Yao Zhikui for wide decision win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.

External links edit