Jingliang Li: I'm going to make sure everybody knows who I am

LAS VEGAS – UFC newcomer Jiangling Li is fully aware that you’ve likely never heard of him. He also wants to make you aware that he’s going to change that.

“Of course it’s going to be a really exciting fight, and I’m going to make sure everybody knows who I am and everybody remembers me,” Li told MMAjunkie through an interpreter.

Li (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) fights in the very first fight of this weekend’s UFC 173 event, where he meets David Michaud (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Both competitors make their UFC debut. Li is a part of China Top Team and fights out of Beijing, where MMA is still really starting to gain hold.

Despite hundreds of years of history in the traditional martial arts, MMA is still a relatively new concept in the country.

Li, known as “The Leech,” is 26 years old and has been fighting professionally since 2007. During that time, he’s picked up an impressive 8-2 mark, with five of those wins coming by submission and another by knockout.

With the UFC attempting to expand in the Far East, the company is in search of fighters from the region that fans can identify with and take on as heroes.

Li looks to prove he’s worthy of such and effort.

“I just want everybody to know that Chinese fighters are here, and you guys better be ready,” Li said.

Check out the video above to hear more from Li.

For the latest on UFC 173, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.