Rei Tsuruya likely took the biggest win, but Julia Polastri stole the show at the UFC Shanghai prelims, after spoiling Xiong Jingnan’s homecoming with a brutal first round head kick knockout.
Unfortunately for her, that highlight reel finish won’t be eligible for a $50,000 bonus.
Julia Polastri badly knocks out ONE Champ Xiong Jingnan
Julia Polastri set up the highlight KO at UFC Shanghai by throwing some punches and flashing a right hand, which had Xiong Jingnan trying to slip towards the incoming head kick. That small detail compounded the kick’s damage
and had her out cold immediately.
With the brutal finish, she improved to 3-3 in the UFC, while Xiong continued a rough stretch late in her career. In Asia, the Chinese MMA star won seven title bouts at ONE Championship, including two wins over the face of the promotion in Angela Lee. Like many top MMA stars from ONE though, Xiong also had issues with the promotion and was left mostly inactive with just one fight in almost four years.
After years on the sidelines, she was officially released by ONEin 2026, then immediately signed with the UFC. Once considered among the best outside the UFC, Xiong is now 38, and has dropped two straight bouts against Angela Hill, and now against Polastri.
Both women missed weight for this strawweight contest, disqualifying Polastri from taking a post-fight bonus despite this highlight reel finish.
Top prospect Rei Tsuruya puts on a show at UFC Shanghai
Top Japanese prospect and Road to UFC tournament winner Rei Tsuruya likely deserved a main card slot here, but perhaps he’s in now inline for a ranked bout after another first round submission win. He put on a show from the opening bell with the fast-paced, aggressive grappling he’s known for. Tsuruya showcased nice takedowns and gorgeous back takes as he submitted Kevin Borjas in the opening round and improving to 12-1 in his young career.
At just 24 years old, Tsuruya now has three wins from the Road to UFC Tournament and three wins in the UFC. His sole defeat was a short notice decision loss to the reigning UFC champion.
Outside of those two bouts, another crowd favorite also got badly knocked out early in the UFC Shanghai card. Hector Santiago put out Road to UFC tournament winner Lawrence Lui in the second round.
Check here for complete results from UFC Shanghai: Nurmagomedov vs. Yadong.
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