Liu Ce delivered the goods in his official Octagon debut earlier this morning (Sat., Aug. 29, 2026) at UFC Shanghai LIVE on Paramount+ from inside the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China, putting a violent stop to Levi Rodrigues with a blistering first-round knockout (punch).
This weekend was lining up to be a coming out party for Liu. The former kickboxing standout only had four MMA fights under his belt ahead of his UFC crossover, but fight fans knew the danger that “Oriental Dragon”
brought to the cage. The 29-year-old fighter from China was looking to live up to his potential and put a decisive stop to Rodrigues, who was coming off a failed UFC debut this past July.
As expected, Liu wasted little time unleashing his striking power. The tall light heavyweight immediately found success with his hands and did a lot of good work to the body with whipping kicks from range. Rodrigues kept Liu honest, though, and even caught the Chinese prospect with some nice shots during the first few minutes of action. However, Liu’s offensive attacks eventually piled up and Rodrigues started to wilt. That’s when Liu moved in for a final barrage and connected on a right hand from hell that stopped Rodrigues dead in his tracks.
Check out the video highlights below and let us know what you thought of Liu’s UFC debut!
For complete UFC Shanghai results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
