Aoriqileng will be going in search of his first ever UFC win this weekend. His promotional debut did not go according to plan with the Chinese flyweight dropping a unanimous decision to Cody Durden.
But he has no regrets about that loss at UFC 261 and no intention of changing his style,
“I learned a lot from my last fight. Of course, I would adjust some details if I had that one to do over again. But nothing would really be different,” he told UFC.com.
There won’t be a crowd in attendance this weekend at UFC Vegas 43 but Aoriqileng tells the broadcast audience to expect,
“Same style. A pure, violent fight.”
My way
He is not going to take a patient approach against Durden who will also be looking for his first UFC win. Aoriqileng promises to,
“Fight my way, give him a pressure he is unable to take.”
He admits to having done very little research on his opponent,
“To be honest, I don’t know too much about him. And I don’t like researching my opponent before I fight. I focus on myself.”
Every aspect
Aoriqileng has been preparing for this fight at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai and says he has been working on every aspect of the game,
“I am an MMA fighter, so I need to work on everything. Striking, boxing, wrestling, grappling.”
Having spent his entire competitive career fighting in China he competed on an international card for the first time at UFC 261. Aoriqileng says everything will be easier second time around,
“I feel great. Travel was good as well. This is the second time I come to the US. So everything is easier than last time.”
But it doesn’t sound like he wants to relocate to the US like Song Yadong, or spend several months there ahead of a fight like Weili Zhang. For the 28 year old there really is no place like home,
“I was born and grew up in Inner Mongolia, China. My family were herders and lived in a nomadic way when I was a child. I miss the endless grassland in my hometown. China is home. Nowhere is better than home.”
