Li Jingliang earned the biggest win of his career on Saturday, defeating No. 14 ranked welterweight contender Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the final moments of their fight at UFC Shenzhen in China.
Showing great respect for each other, the two fighters sized each other up for much of the first round. Though there was a bit of excitement in the closing seconds as Jingliang blasted do Santos with a right hand that sent him to the canvas, although he hopped right back to his feet. It was enough to tip the round in favor of Jingliang though, and a solid second round seemed to have him in control of the fight heading into the third and final frame.
Dos Santos showed a little more urgency in the third round, though he couldn't quite must much on offense as Jingliang showed great countering. Getting desperate and overzealous in the final minute, dos Santos opened himself up to a brutal right uppercut that sent him stumbling across the Octagon. Sensing a possible finish, Jingliang unleashed a flurry of punches before the referee ultimately ended things with just nine seconds remaining.
It was a stunning win for Jingliang (17-5) who is the longest tenured Chinese fighter on the UFC roster. The loss snaps Elizeu Dos Santos's seven fight win streak dating back to April 2016.