With a new king crowned and the old queen back on the throne, China's mixed martial artists put up a gusty fight on the world stage in 2022, as the sport continues to punch above its weight in the birthplace of kung fu.

Known as the cradle of ancient martial arts, China cemented its rise to prominence in the modern sport of MMA last year, with the men celebrating a major breakthrough in the ring, while the women maintained their world-class prowess.

Fighting in the ONE Championship, a Singapore-based major MMA promotion, Chinese striker Tang Kai made history on Aug 26 after beating former champ Thanh Le of the United States to claim the organization's featherweight belt via a five-round unanimous decision.

By securing his 10th straight win in the Circle, Tang became China's first men's MMA world champion with a major promotion, joining his countrywoman Xiong Jingnan — ONE Championship's reigning strawweight title holder — on the Asia-focused promotion's champion roster.

Hailing from the Sunkin International Fight Club in his native Hunan province, Tang had set his eyes on a long reign upon the featherweight throne right after his successful challenge.

"To bring the championship belt to China, I've lived up to my words before the fight, but I won't stop here," said Tang, a 27-year-old knockout specialist. "My goal is to defend my title many times to extend my dominance as long as possible."

Tang already owns an impeccable 7-0 record since signing with ONE in 2019.

"To make myself a stronger champion, I will work harder on my weaknesses in jujitsu, particularly grappling and brawling," Tang said. "I will also keep sharpening my punches to improve the effectiveness of my striking."

As Tang savored his triumph, Xiong sent him a timely reminder of what it takes to stay on top of a division by going all out on Oct 1 at a live event in Singapore to beat challenger Angela Lee and defend her world title for a record seventh time.

Via a five-round unanimous decision, Xiong, known as "The Panda" in the Circle, ousted Lee to retain her 125-pound (56.7-kilogram) title and lead the Canadian-American fighter 2-1 in bouts fought.

After losing her only fight since joining ONE in 2017 to Lee in a 115-pound (52.2-kg) matchup in October 2019, Xiong, who holds an 18-2 career record, came back strong with three solid wins in the build-up to her third battle against Lee and prevailed with her trademark tenacious attack.

After the hard-fought win, Xiong dedicated her victory to the country, which was celebrating the National Day holiday when she retained the belt.

During her four-year, eight-fight stranglehold on the division, Xiong has proved herself to be the best strawweight fighter the organization has seen, but she isn't satisfied with that.

"It might sound cocky, but I'll keep this belt for a long time," said the 35-year-old Shandong province native.

With no imminent strawweight challengers coming at her way, Xiong is targeting the lower division again.

"I've been thinking about that for a long time," Xiong said of a coveted fourth showdown with Lee in the atomweight class to become a double-division champ.

Now sharing the role to spearhead MMA's rise in China with Xiong, Tang is immensely proud to play his part in popularizing the sport in his home country.

"I think no other sports compare with MMA. It's unique in its appeal," he said. "Hopefully, more people in China will become interested in MMA and start to practice it because of what I did."

Zhang supremacy

Las Vegas-based MMA organization the Ultimate Fighting Championship also saw Chinese fighters shine on its biggest stage in 2022, highlighted by strawweight queen Zhang Weili's return to the top of her division and a string of brave performances by Chinese men in the highly competitive Octagon.

Zhang, who first wrested the division's belt from Brazilian grappler Jessica Andrade in August 2019, reclaimed the title that she lost to American fighter Rose Namajunas in April 2021. Beating wrestling specialist Carla Esparza via a second-round submission in November at New York's Madison Square Garden, Zhang announced her return to supremacy in the division.

Esparza snatched the strawweight belt from Namajunas via a split decision in a bout in May last year, while Zhang recovered and regrouped for her second title shot.

Zhang's overwhelming win, secured with a rear-naked choke on Esparza, a veteran known for similar styles of wins in the Octagon, sparked a rousing global reaction, including from the likes of boxing legend Mike Tyson and Hollywood action star Sylvester Stallone, who watched the bout live at UFC 281 in New York.

After bringing the belt back home, Zhang is hoping to bring a pay-per-view live UFC event to China, where the hosting of international sporting events is expected to resume after the relaxing of pandemic prevention measures.

"If it is possible, I'd like to defend my title next year in China. It would be a wonderful experience to defend my belt at home for the first time in my career," said the 32-year-old Hebei native.

Despite the challenges in logistics and international travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, UFC remains bullish on the future of MMA in the Chinese market, with Zhang's return to the top generating more momentum for the sport.

After witnessing her crowd-pleasing win in New York, UFC president Dana White described Zhang as an anchor for the organization's ambitions in China.

"What you need to have to ignite a market is a badass fighter from that region … and she is helping to blow the thing up in China," White said at the post-fight news conference.

Since Zhang's first championship win in 2019, the UFC has been making steady inroads into the Chinese market. It opened its second Performance Institute in Shanghai in the same year and has developed a competitive roster of local fighters, such as fifth-ranked strawweight challenger Yan Xiaonan, men's welterweight striker Li Jingliang and bantamweight contender Song Yadong.

Li and Song, although having not won any titles, also delivered inspirational performances of their own in the brutally competitive competition.

Fighting in the UFC's 170-pound (77.1-kg) welterweight class, Li accepted an unfairly-matched bout on short notice against heavier opponent Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279 in September. A major weigh-in discrepancy with main-event fighter Khamzat Chimaev forced the card to be reset, leaving Li no choice but to face Rodriguez, who was at least 10 pounds heavier than Li on the night, to save the event from collapsing.

Oversized and out-powered by Rodriguez, Li lived up to his Octagon moniker "Leech" throughout three rounds, taking on the American opponent with fierce punches and kicks, winning over fans and pundits, including UFC president White.

It was not enough for the judges, though, who scored the catchweight bout 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 in favor of Rodriguez.

"I thought Li won the fight," White said during the post-event news conference. "The judges were wrong in my opinion. It wasn't even, 'wow! That could have gone either way'. I was shocked when they said split decision."

Li, however, insists he is moving on from the controversy as he bids to punch his way back to title contention.

"The fight is over, I am not hurt and it's settled. It's time to move on, despite the disappointing result," said Li, who made his UFC debut in 2014.

"There are many things that are unfair in the world, yet I will never back down, facing whatever challenges come my way. I will keep marching forward and fighting for home. China Power! Come on!"

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