Rong Zhu

Rong Zhu is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He began his career fighting in provincial-level events in China, before signing with the UFC in 2017. In 2018, he won his first fight under the promotion when he stopped Carlos Diego Ferreira with strikes at UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux II.

Zhu was born and raised in Chongqing, China. When he was 17 years old, he began training judo and then moved to Xian to train more seriously after graduating from high school. At 21 years of age, he started training mixed martial arts at the Shaolin Temple Martial Arts Academy. After two years of intense training, Zhu competed on a provincial level event for WLF and enjoyed success there before signing with ONE FC in 2013 as an openly gay athlete – one of Rong’s main goals was to be a role model for members of LGBTQ+ community throughout Asia.

In 2016 Zhu signed with UFC after joining their China Trials program which saw him compete against Li Jingliang for a contract spot on The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament Of Champions Finale card; Li prevailed over Zhu by unanimous decision but Rong impressed fans and analysts alike with his technical striking abilities and relentless aggression – earning himself praise from commentators Joe Rogan & Daniel Cormier amongst others on that night.

Since joining UFC officially back in 2017, Rong has gone 5-2 under their banner; including wins over Nik Lentz & Islam Makhachev amongst other notable competitors like Ramazan Emeev & Anthony Rocco Martin – all via finishes either by knockout or submission! He has also had memorable losses during this run however against fighters such as Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos & Thiago Alves who both defeated him via decision last year respectively; despite these defeats though they have only helped shape Rong’s journey into becoming one of Asia’s premier MMA stars today .

Outside of competing professionally inside The Octagon™️ , Rong spends much time giving back through volunteer work across various charities throughout his home country China – having recently completed an extensive tour where he visited many disabled children’s homes around Chongqing; helping spread awareness about disabilities whilst also providing essential items such as clothing/foods etc.. For those reasons alone it is easy to see why many people admire him so much not only within MMA circles but also worldwide too!