On the heels of the Ultimate Fighting Championship‘s recent announcement they were establishing operations in China, their sister organization, World Extreme Cagefighting has signed the promotion’s first fighter from mainland China.
Nicknamed “The Mongolian Wolf,” undefeated Tiequan Zhang will make his promotional debut against The Ultimate Fighter season one veteran Alex Karalexis in a lightweight showdown on Sept. 30 at WEC 51 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo.
WEC manager Reed Harris commented on Zhang’s addition to the organization:
“Tiequan is an excellent addition to our lightweight division. He trains at a tremendous camp in Beijing and we are excited to have him compete with the best lighter weight fighters in the world.”
Although Sherdog’s Fight Finder has Zhang’s record as 11-0, the WEC press release states “The Mongolian Wolf” is actually 16-0. Either way, Zhang trains with China Top Team, a group led by former Brazilian Top Team member Ruy Menezes.
WEC 51 will be headlined with a featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo defending his title against The Ultimate Fighter season five finalist Manny Gamburyan.