ONE Championship signs former TUF winner Zhang Lipeng, kickboxing star Qiu Jianliang
ONE Championship is making big moves and the latest wave of signings shows they have no intention of slowing down. The Asian promotion has signed three fighters to their roster, including a kickboxing star, a UFC veteran and 23-year-old athlete turned movie star.
The biggest of the three signings is Qiu Jianliang who is considered one of China’s top pound-for-pound kickboxers. He’s a multiple-time kickboxing champion and ranked No. 1 at super featherweight by Combat Press, according to the promotion. He briefly took a break from combat sports competition to attend college and has resumed his career with ONE Championship.
Jianliang is hoping to be ONE Championship’s first male Chinese champion.
“I am very honored to join ONE Championship, the world’s largest martial arts organization,” he said via a press release. “I am excited to take my professional fighting career to the next level. Right now, Xiong Jing Nan is the only Chinese ONE World Champion, but that will soon change. I want to make history as the first-ever male ONE World Champion from China.”
ONE Championship signs TUF winner Zhang Lipeng
The other signing may be a familiar name for UFC fans as he’s competed in the promotion prior to signing with ONE Championship. Zhang Lipeng was named the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: China and earned a UFC contract. He won two of his four UFC bouts before competing in the Kunlun promotion. He holds a massive 30-11 record.
ONE Championship also signed Banma Duoji who appeared in the movie Golden Belt and has suffered only one professional loss.