China's Li shines in Singapore

China's Li Jingliang was the talk of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday night as the MMA promotion made its long-awaited Asian return in Singapore.

Widely seen as China's best mixed martial arts prospect, Li took down Guam's Frank Camacho in a three-round welterweight match, exhausting his opponent and winning by unanimous decision.

"My opponent surprised me with his speed and strength. He punched very hard. Because of this, I changed my game plan for the second round to move more and land more low leg kicks," said Li, who has a 3-2 record in UFC.

"I knew I had the chance to finish the fight in the last round and it looked as if he was going down, but he was very tough and stayed in the fight. I trained for this to be a three-round fight, so I took my time and delivered."

In returning to Asia after a 19-month absence, UFC has its eye on the lucrative Chinese market, initially scheduling two Chinese fighters on Saturday's card.

Over 8,400 fans packed into Singapore Indoor Stadium to witness the action.

In the main event, American fighter Holly Holm broke her three-fight losing streak, knocking out Brazilian Bethe Correia with a kick to the head in their bantamweight bout.

The pair got off to a slow start with barely any contact in the first two rounds, prompting boos from the crowd.

Responding to a taunt in the third, Holm unleashed a head kick that sent Correia crashing to the canvas, then finished her off with a punch.

"I picked the shot I wanted and got the finish. We figured she would get frustrated and that's what opened up the opportunity for the head kick," Holm said.

Holm ended top star Rhonda Rousey's unbeaten run in 2015 with a similar move, a loss from which the latter has never rebounded.

Since her upset of Rousey, Holm has also struggled, losing three bouts in a row before Sunday. She is now 11-3 in MMA.

China Daily