Jumabieke Tuerxun vs. Mark Eddiva Set For TUF China Finale in Macau

Two undefeated UFC debutants will collide in Macau next month when former Legend FC bantamweight champion Jumabieke Tuerxun takes on two-time SEA Games Wushu gold medallist Mark Eddiva at the TUF: China Finale.

Tuerxun (14-0) has not been involved in a recorded MMA fight since 2012 due to a series of contractual disputes, although there have been some photos of him competing at Chinese events during that period.

He won the Legend FC 135-pound title in 2012, but promptly vacated the belt when it emerged he had a pre-existing contract with RUFF. He was then set to fight Irshaad Sayed for the inaugural RUFF title, but instead elected to leave the organization and join the UFC.

Unfortunately for Tuerxun, although his Ruff contract had expired, he still hadn’t fulfilled his Legend FC contract and the now defunct Hong Kong based promotion was able to successfully block him from signing with the UFC.

It wasn’t until Legend FC folded late last year that Jumabieke, who trains under Bellator welterweight Vaughn Anderson at the X’ian Sports University, finally became available to fight for the UFC.

Eddiva (5-0) has been out of MMA action since 2011, preferring instead to concentrate on Wushu commitments. He is the cousin of ONE FC lightweight contender Eduard Folayang and trains alongside some of the best fighters in the Philippines at Team Lakay.

Better known for his accomplishments in Wushu than MMA, he has won numerous medals including claiming gold at the SEA Games in both 2009 and 2011. Eddiva hails from Baguio, the city which also produced top Filipino featherweights Honorio Banario, Eric Kelly, and Edward Kelly.

Having previously competed at bantamweight, Tuerxun will be moving up to 145 pounds to take on Eddiva at the Cotai Arena on March 1 on a card that will be headlined by a five-round welterweight bout between top contenders John Hathaway and Dong Hyun Kim.