14-0? 17-0? TUF China Finale's Jumabieke Tuerxun says he's actually 30-0

MACAU – The name Jumabieke Tuerxun doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but you might want to get comfortable saying it.

The Chinese featherweight prospect makes his UFC debut on Saturday, and while his documented career record doesn’t show it, the 27-year-old seeks his 31st consecutive victory.

“I’ve fought 30 times, but some of the fights in China aren’t promoted and recorded,” Tuerxun told MMAjunkie through a translator. “Some of them are small fights in small cities where they don’t have the Internet. But I’m undefeated.”

“Leopard” Tuerxun, who was born in China and is of Kazakh decent, began wrestling as a teenager. Eventually, he was exposed to MMA and immediately realized he wanted to make the transition to professional cagefighting.

“I first saw MMA on TV,” Tuerxun said. “I was on the provincial wrestling team at the Xian Sports Institute. The institute has a Sanda team that fights in MMA events. I went over to the team to try out, and I made it.”

Obviously, it was a wise choice.

Tuerxun makes his octagon debut at Saturday’s TUF China Finale at The Venetian Macao’s CotaiArena in Macau, where he meets Filipino promotional newcomer Mark Eddiva (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in the first bout of the UFC Fight Pass-streamed event. The UFC will bill Tuerxun as 17-0 (Sherdog’s Fight Finder lists him as 14-0), and he knows his accepted record probably won’t ever reflect his actual body of work. But he insists that doesn’t matter. The goal is to find the same kind of success in the UFC.

“There’s no pressure,” Tuerxun said. “It’s going to be a top fight, and I get to represent China. That’s a reward for me, and it allows me to give back to China.”

Tuerxun wasn’t able to compete on “The Ultimate Fighter: China” due to contractual issues that have since been resolved. Still, he’ll be featured on the show’s live finale, and he’s ready to introduce himself to the world.

And if all goes according to plan, you’ll need to get some practice with his name, no matter how cumbersome.

“I’m ready to fight the best,” Tuerxun said.

For more on the TUF China Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.