Li Jingliang is a Chinese mixed martial artist. Li Jingliang competes for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and also competes in the Welterweight division. Currently, the fighter is ranked 13th in the UFC’s welterweight division. In addition, he is known as The Leech.
Jingliang has also won the Welterweight Championship of the Legend Fighting Championship.
In the UFC, he has also won Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards.
Table of Contents
Early Life, Family, and Education
Li Jingliang was born on March 20, 1988, in the Chinese city of Tacheng, Xinjiang.
Jingliang grew raised in Xinjiang Province, a small town near Tacheng.
His parents toiled away in the remote city to provide for him.
Their work specifics and names, however, are kept hidden.
Nonetheless, many sources suggest that his parents were farmers since Li quips that if he ha
dn’t been a fighter, he would have been a farmer.
His parents also pushed him to enroll in an amateur sports school where he could train.
Jingliang considered declining the offer because he was unfamiliar with wrestling and athletics.
Nonetheless, his mother and father had spoken with The Leech’s coach at the sports school, who had seen his potential.
As a result, the UFC fighter’s mother and father eventually persuaded him to accept the offer.
He had no idea that the tiny offer would lead to opportunities in the UFC and MMA.
Soon after, he began practicing freestyle wrestling and even studied by Bao Li Gao, the “Muay Thai Killer,” a National Sanda Champion.
Bao also exposed him to mixed martial arts.
He also directed Li to the Art of War Fighting Championship and the Legend Fighting Championship.
Following that, the Chinese fighter relocated to Beijing at the age of 20 to pursue a professional MMA career.
Inspiration And Learning
Zhang Tiequan, a UFC lightweight fighter who is also the coach of The Ultimate Fighter: China, trained him in Beijing.
Jingliang grew up watching Bruce Lee and was greatly influenced by him.
When Li first began his professional career, he could only identify with Bruce Lee, his values, and his discipline. The boxer stated in a 2018 interview,
“Inside the octagon, the only obstacle I face is how to demolish the opponent and win.”
The mixed martial artist is renowned as the “King of the Octagon” and is recognized for his knockouts.
Age, Height, and Weight
Li Jingliang has been 34 years old since his birth in 1988.
Aside from that, Li expressed concern for his health and diet.
As a result, Li is in excellent shape and has a well-toned physique.
In addition, the Welterweight combatant stands 6 feet tall and weighs 170 pounds (77 kilograms).
Facts of Li Jingliang
| Full Name | Li Jingliang |
| Birth Date | March 20, 1988 |
| Birth Place | Tacheng, Xinjiang, China |
| Nick Name | The Leech |
| Religion | Not Available |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Ethnicity | Asian |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Father’s Name | Not Available |
| Mother’s Name | Not Available |
| Siblings | Not Available |
| Age | 34 years old |
| Height | 6 feet |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Profession | MMA Fighter |
| Current Team | China Top Team and Team Alpha Male |
| Welterweight Rankings | 13 |
| Fighting Style | Striker |
| Active Years | 2007 – Present |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Not Available |
| Kids | Two; A Daughter and A Son |
| Net Worth | $25 million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merchandise | UFC Gloves |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) |
| Last Updated | May 2022 |
Net Worth, Salary, and Career Earnings
Li Jingliang’s net worth estimation is $25 million as of 2022.
Li worked really hard and fought for his wife and kids. Moreover, he was the only breadwinner in his family.
Likewise, he also took care of his parents. Hence, Jingliang dedicated his entire career to his family.
Although his first match in the UFC earned him only $8 thousand, he gradually started making more and built a net worth of $25 million.
In his recent loss to American MMA fighter Neil Magny, he earned $64 thousand. Similarly, in his impressive win against Santiago Ponzinibbio, his overall earnings amounted to $225,000.
The Leech also earns a good amount through bonuses and endorsements.
Early Career
When he was 19 years old, Leech began his career as a well-known MMA fighter. He made his debut at AOW 8: Worlds Collide in 2007.
He won his professional debut by technical knockout over Makhach Gadzhiev.
Jingliang also submitted Liu Jin Wen at the Ultimate Martial Arts Combat and Yun Tao Gong at the AOW 15: Ueyama vs. Aohailin in his next two matches.
While debuting at the Legend Fighting Championship, the MMA fighter suffered his first professional loss to Pat Crawley.
Following that, he embarked on a three-fight winning streak, defeating Andrei Liu, Tony Rossini, and Alex Niu.
Li’s next defeat came in a unanimous decision to Myung Ho Bae at Legend FC 7. After that, he won his last two LFC battles by unanimous decision and submission, respectively, against Dan Pauling and Luke Jumeau.
A Future in the UFC
In a contest against David Michaud, the fighter made his maiden appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The fight took place at UFC 173 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Li won the match in the third round by a split decision. It was also Michaud’s first loss in his professional career.
The Leech then faced Nordine Taleb, a French-Canadian professional mixed martial artist, in his second UFC battle.
Despite a strong start in which Jingliang defeated Nordine several games, Taleb eventually defeated Li.
Dhiego Lima, a Brazilian mixed martial artist, was the Chinese mixed martial artist’s next opponent. He knocked out his opponent in the first round.
After that, he fought at UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson against Keita Nakamura. Li, on the other hand, was defeated by technical submission in the third round.
The LFC Welterweight Champion then went on a four-match winning streak. By knockouts and decisions, he defeated Anton Zafir, Bobby Nash, Frank Camacho, and Zak Ottow in those four matches.
Jingliang vs. Magny & Ponzinibbio, Recent Career, Eye-gouging
At UFC 221, Li suffered his first loss after a winning streak against Australian mixed martial artist Jake Matthews. Jingliang was chastised for gouging Jake’s eyes during the fight with Matthews.
Fans were also enraged that The Leech’s crime went unpunished by UFC. Moreover, he was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
Nevertheless, Jake held no hard feelings against his opponent, who poked his eye sockets until they bled.
In an interview, Matthews said,
“In the heat of the fight, you don’t realize that stuff. There were a couple of fingers in the glove, but in the heat of the fight, you’ll do anything to win/ I can’t fault that. No hard feelings at all.”
Besides that, Li had another winning streak at three matches against Daichi Abe at UFC Fight Night 132, David Zawada at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2, and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang.
His last fight of 2020 was against Neil Magny at UFC 228. Jingliang lost the fight by a unanimous decision in the third round.
Finally, he faced Argentine mixed martial artist Santiago Ponzinibbio on January 16, 2021. The Chinese fighter won the match in the first round by knockout.
As a result, Li was the recipient of the Performance of the Night award.
Wife, Marriage, and Kids
Li Jingliang is married. However, details regarding his wife, her name, education, and profession are currently unknown.
Nevertheless, many sources report that she is a full-time mom. On top of looking after her kids, she is a very supportive wife.
She can be seen at many of Li’s matches cheering him on.
At UFC Fight Night 122, Jingliang jumped out of the cage to hug his wife after winning against Zak Ottow in Shanghai, China.
Besides that, the couple has two children. The Leech has a daughter named Tian Tian and a son who was born recently.
Furthermore, his children’s names and other details are not disclosed to the public for their safety and privacy.
Also Read: Brad Kaaya, Tiger Woods Tegla Loroupe
Social Media Presence
The Chinese fighter is quite active on various social media platforms.
Hence, he is on Instagram with 19 thousand followers.
The Leech usually shares his life as a professional MMA fighter in his handle.
As a result, he has several pictures in the ring and the gym.
Similarly, Li has also posted snippets of his training sessions and workout routine.
Besides that, the father of two loves sharing adorable photos of his children.
Furthermore, he is active on Twitter with over 5.8 thousand followers.
The LFC Welterweight Champion mostly shares MMA, and UFC-related highlights, events, and news to his Twitter handle.
Recently, Jingliang pinned a video of Connor McGregor where the Notorious congratulated Li on his win against Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Aside from that, he has tweeted and retweeted a lot of his fights.
