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UFC 144: Brutal KO Proves Zhang Tiequan Isn't Up to UFC Standards
February 26, 2012
It is obvious Zhang Tiequan does not possess the all-around skills to be a force in the UFC. Tiequan is a submission specialist, but he has shown little else in his three fights in the UFC.
After debuting successfully against Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127, he has now lost his past two fights.
He was outpointed at UFC 136 by Darren Elkins who was able to fend off Tiequan's submission attempts, while picking him apart when the fighters were on their feet.
This one was the most brutal. His opponent Issei Tamura countered a right hand by Tiequan to land a crushing right hand of his own.
Tiequan was out like a light before he hit the mat. It was Tamura's UFC debut and it took place in front of his hometown crowd in Japan.
Through the last two fights it has been clear to see that Tiequan's opponents have been resistant to grapple with him, as they know he is constantly looking for the submission.
He is clearly out of his element during stand up fighting scenarios, and that was his downfall in this bout. The more well-rounded fighters in the UFC are not going to fight Tiequan's fight. If he can't compete on his feet, his UFC career will be a very short one.
As we've seen, if fighters are consistently unsuccessful, Dana White won't hesitate to terminate their inclusion with the promotion.
Right now, Tiequan has to be teetering on that status.
It will be interesting to see if he gets another opportunity, and if he does, who will the opponent be?
Tiequan will have to work very hard on his striking ability. It's possible he could draw a fighter that isn't capable of fighting off his overtures to take the fight to the mat, but I don't think White will look to give him any breaks in the draw.
The fact is, strikers are more exciting and fan-friendly. Tiequan's style is more a flashback style to an era passed.
He is only 26 years old, so he isn't too old to add some techniques to his overall attack, but his previous success makes it a bit difficult to change.
Tiequan just doesn't look like a future contender.
