Rong Zhu
China
Out
Injury Undisclosed
Est. Return 2/1/2026
Out for UFC 325
Zhu (undisclosed) will no longer take on Quillan Salkilld at UFC 325 on Jan. 31, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Zhu will cede from the matchup against Salkilld for undisclosed reasons less than a month ahead of the awaited fight. Australian Jamie Mullarkey will fill in for the Chinese lightweight in the 325 showing.
Zhu will cede from the matchup against Salkilld for undisclosed reasons less than a month ahead of the awaited fight. Australian Jamie Mullarkey will fill in for the Chinese lightweight in the 325 showing.
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Matched up against Salkilld
Zhu will take on Quillan Salkilld in a lightweight matchup at UFC 325 on Jan. 31, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Zhu came up via Road to the UFC,a nd while he lost his September 2024 debut to Chris Padilla, he's since won back-to-back fights in the 2025 calendar year. He now draws a surging prospect in Salkilld, who is undefeated in three UFC fights with two post-fight bonuses for first-round finishes. Zhu will give up height and reach advantages, but he does have a slight edge in volume striking. Salkilld has the better defensive numbers, however, as Zhu tends to get hit in order to land shots of his own.
Zhu came up via Road to the UFC,a nd while he lost his September 2024 debut to Chris Padilla, he's since won back-to-back fights in the 2025 calendar year. He now draws a surging prospect in Salkilld, who is undefeated in three UFC fights with two post-fight bonuses for first-round finishes. Zhu will give up height and reach advantages, but he does have a slight edge in volume striking. Salkilld has the better defensive numbers, however, as Zhu tends to get hit in order to land shots of his own.
Outlasts Hubbard in Shanghai
Zhu defeated Austin Hubbard via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) at UFC Shanghai on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Zhu fought to relatively even terms in the first two rounds. Both were tight in the striking department, and while Zhu allowed a takedown in each frame, he didn't allow Hubbard to control him for long. With the fight likely in the balance entering Round 3, Zhu was clearly the fresher man. He landed the bigger shots, was moving forward and ended up ahead 52-to-29 in the significant striking department, while also stuffing all six of Hubbard's takedown attempts. He was even willing to brawl it out in the center in the final moments, but his opponent did not engage. Despite losing his UFC debut after winning Road to the UFC, Rongzhu now has back-to-back decision victories, but he still has a long ways to go in a deep lightweight division.
Zhu fought to relatively even terms in the first two rounds. Both were tight in the striking department, and while Zhu allowed a takedown in each frame, he didn't allow Hubbard to control him for long. With the fight likely in the balance entering Round 3, Zhu was clearly the fresher man. He landed the bigger shots, was moving forward and ended up ahead 52-to-29 in the significant striking department, while also stuffing all six of Hubbard's takedown attempts. He was even willing to brawl it out in the center in the final moments, but his opponent did not engage. Despite losing his UFC debut after winning Road to the UFC, Rongzhu now has back-to-back decision victories, but he still has a long ways to go in a deep lightweight division.
Looks to stack wins vs. Hubbard
Zhu will take on Austin Hubbard in a lightweight bout at UFC Shanghai on Aug. 23, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Zhu got off to a rough 1-3 start in the UFC, but managed to make up a little ground in his last bout after beating Kody Steele via unanimous decision back in February. He'll look to even his record in the promotion with a win over Hubbard, who is much more experienced in the UFC but is also coming off two straight losses.
Zhu got off to a rough 1-3 start in the UFC, but managed to make up a little ground in his last bout after beating Kody Steele via unanimous decision back in February. He'll look to even his record in the promotion with a win over Hubbard, who is much more experienced in the UFC but is also coming off two straight losses.
Pulls upset of Kody Steele
Rong defeated Kody Steele via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC 312 on Saturday in Sydney, Australia.
ANALYSIS
Fresh off a lopsided knockout loss to Chris Padilla in September, Rong came out of nowhere to dominate a legitimate top prospect in Steele here. Rong was hopelessly overwhelmed in terms of grappling, but Steele aided the proceedings mightily by attempting just four takedowns. He was perfectly content with a back-and-forth kickboxing match, which led to Rong closing with a whopping 125-29 edge in significant strikes landed. Set to turn 25 years of age next month, Rong already has north of 30 professional fights in his career and remains solid roster depth for the company. On top of the victory, he'll walk away with an extra $50,000 after this matchup was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
Fresh off a lopsided knockout loss to Chris Padilla in September, Rong came out of nowhere to dominate a legitimate top prospect in Steele here. Rong was hopelessly overwhelmed in terms of grappling, but Steele aided the proceedings mightily by attempting just four takedowns. He was perfectly content with a back-and-forth kickboxing match, which led to Rong closing with a whopping 125-29 edge in significant strikes landed. Set to turn 25 years of age next month, Rong already has north of 30 professional fights in his career and remains solid roster depth for the company. On top of the victory, he'll walk away with an extra $50,000 after this matchup was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
Will fight vs. Kody Steele
Zhu will fight against Kody Steele at UFC 312 on Feb. 8, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Zhu was released from his UFC deal following a loss to Ignacio Bahamondes in 2022, and he also lost to Chris Padilla in his return to the promotion on Sep. 7, 2024. He's gone 25-6-0 as a pro in his career, but he's only 24 years old and has a lot of mileage in his body with more than 30 pro fights under his belt. Plus, he's gone 1-3-0 at the UFC level.
Zhu was released from his UFC deal following a loss to Ignacio Bahamondes in 2022, and he also lost to Chris Padilla in his return to the promotion on Sep. 7, 2024. He's gone 25-6-0 as a pro in his career, but he's only 24 years old and has a lot of mileage in his body with more than 30 pro fights under his belt. Plus, he's gone 1-3-0 at the UFC level.