Worth the wait- Zhang Mingyang has put the UFC light heavyweight division on notice.
"The Mountain Tiger" Zhang waited nineteen months to make his UFC debut, and continued his run of first-round finishes against Brendson Ribeiro at UFC 298 in Anaheim.
Immediately to begin the light heavyweight contest, Ribeiro's 81-inch reach appeared to be a problem for Zhang. Getting tagged by the Brazilian's jab, the pace of the fight was fast and furious from the opening bell.
Zhang only needed to press into Ribeiro to find the finish- off a Ribiero jab, Zhang slipped, threw a left hook, then landed cleanly with a right hook that dropped the Brazilian. A few hammerfists from Zhang sent Ribiero unconscious, and referee Mike Beltran called an end to the fight at 1:41 of the first round.
With the win, Zhang rises to 17-6, while Ribeiro falls to 15-6.
In his post-fight interview, Zhang, obviously very excited by his win, gave a long-shot call to fight UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 300.