The first shuffled contest at UFC 279 between China’s Li Jingliang and America’s Daniel Rodriguez took place at a catchweight of 180 lbs. While Rodriguez weighed in at the highest weight limit, the Chinese fighter was around 10 lbs short. Yet, the contest was competitive.

Daniel Rodriguez won the contest, but fans were left with a sour taste.

Originally booked against Tony Ferguson, Li Jingliang came prepared for the impromptu contest against a bigger opponent. ‘The Leech’ found a lot of success against Daniel Rodriguez and thrilled the T-Mobile Arena with a close bout.

After three competitive rounds, the judges gave a nod to the American fighter as he landed some crisp jabs throughout the contest. However, many believed the Chinese star did enough to get the victory.

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The judges’ scorecard was required, but fans believed the decision was wrongly read in favor of ‘D-Rod’.

UFC fans react to Li Jingliang and Daniel Rodriguez’s contest at UFC 279

After all the chaos before the bout, both fighters still performed to their best inside the Octagon. Jingliang showcased he was not a walk in the park for a bigger ‘D-Rod’.

While the contest appeared a coin toss, fans were not happy with the judges’ decision. Thus, they debated who actually won in the catchweight fight.

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While ‘D-Rod’ got his hand raised, the Chinese athlete put on an exceptional performance as well.

Li Jingliang’s stocks rose regardless of the loss

The Chinese athlete had a lot of shine on him, as he shared the octagon with Khamzat Chimaev. But this time around, it was different since ‘The Leech’ capitalized every bit.

From the moment the footage of him wearing a custom suit to a press conference that was eventually canceled, Jingliang got the fight fans’ attention.

Further, a video of him paying respect to Ferguson and a clip where he was looking after ‘El Cucuy’ not to trip to cables showed the respectful and light side of the Chinese warrior.

But above all this Jingliang accepting a fight against a gigantic opponent on short notice and almost coming off a win gained new fans for the 170 lbs star all over the world.

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What do you make of the first shuffled contest of UFC 279 between Li Jingliang and Daniel Rodriguez? Share your views in the comments below.