UFC Fight Night 122: Bisping vs. Gastelum | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Ariel Helwhiney
- May 20
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 122: Bisping vs. Gastelum took place on Saturday, November 25, 2017 at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China — broadcast exclusively on UFC Fight Pass (3:35 AM ET for North American viewers). The card drew a sold-out 15,128 fans. It was the UFC’s first-ever event in mainland China. The main event was a five-round middleweight bout between former UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping and Kelvin Gastelum.
Gastelum knocked out Bisping in round one at 2:30 and earned Performance of the Night. Bisping had accepted the fight on short notice just 21 days after losing the MW title to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 on November 4. Li Jingliang earned the other main card Performance of the Night for his TKO of Zak Ottow before a hometown crowd. Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yadong Song earned preliminary card Performances of the Night. No Fight of the Night was awarded.
UFC’s Mainland China Debut — Sellout Shanghai
The UFC had previously hosted events in Hong Kong (UFC 48 in 2003) and Macau (multiple UFC events 2012-2016), but the November 25 Shanghai card was the promotion’s first event in mainland China. The Chinese market’s commercial potential had long been discussed as one of MMA’s largest untapped audiences. The sellout 15,128 attendance at Mercedes-Benz Arena was the commercial proof that the Beijing and Shanghai urban markets could sustain large-scale UFC events.
Li Jingliang’s co-main event booking was the card’s central commercial decision for the Chinese market: he was the UFC’s most successful mainland Chinese fighter at the time, with a 5-1 UFC record and a KO power reputation that made his fights commercially reliable. His Shanghai TKO of Zak Ottow before a Chinese crowd was the card’s most nationally resonant individual result. Yadong Song’s debut and multiple Chinese-born fighters on the preliminary card reflected the UFC’s intentional programming of the card for a Chinese audience.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, November 25, 2017 (3:35 AM ET; UFC’s FIRST EVER mainland China event; SELLOUT)
📍 Venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai, China
👥 Attendance: 15,128 (SELLOUT)
📺 Broadcast: UFC Fight Pass EXCLUSIVE
🏆 Main Event: Michael Bisping vs. Kelvin Gastelum — MW (5 rounds; Bisping on SHORT NOTICE, 21 days after losing title to GSP; Bisping weighed 186 lbs)
✅ Result: Gastelum def. Bisping via KO (punches) — R1, 2:30 (PoN $50k; Gastelum +225 underdog; launched MW title contendership)
Main Event: Gastelum KOs Bisping on 21-Day Notice
Bisping had lost the UFC Middleweight Championship to Georges St-Pierre via rear-naked choke in round three at UFC 217 on November 4 — 21 days before the Shanghai main event. He weighed in at 186 pounds (1 lb over the non-title MW limit), reflecting the weight management difficulty of a rapid return. He was a +225 underdog against Gastelum — a significant commercial surprise given his championship-era profile.
Gastelum’s crisp boxing produced the KO at 2:30 of round one. The finish was decisive: Bisping was knocked down and the referee waved off the fight before further ground-and-pound was delivered. The loss, combined with GSP’s vacating the MW title on December 7 citing health concerns, positioned Gastelum as an active and physically dangerous MW contender in an open divisional landscape. The Shanghai result launched the MW contendership phase that produced his interim title fight against Robert Whittaker at UFC 234.
Li’s Home Crowd TKO, Zabit’s 2nd PoN, Song’s Debut & The Card
Li Jingliang’s TKO of Zak Ottow at 2:57 of round one was the Shanghai crowd’s most loudly celebrated result. Li caught Ottow’s kick, landed a straight right hand, and finished with ground-and-pound — a sequence that demonstrated both his counter-striking timing and his KO power. His hometown TKO was the event’s most commercially resonant individual performance for the Chinese audience. Zabit Magomedsharipov’s submission of Sheymon Moraes at 4:30 of round three was his second consecutive UFC Performance of the Night, following his Rotterdam debut PoN at FN115.
Yadong Song’s UFC debut at Shanghai produced Performance of the Night in his first Octagon appearance. Song was competing in front of Chinese fans as a Chinese fighter — the commercial logic for scheduling his debut at the mainland China inaugural card was transparent and effective. Anderson Silva competed at the event in a middleweight fight against Derek Brunson, winning by unanimous decision. His win was later overturned to a No Contest following a USADA positive test for methyltestosterone from an out-of-competition sample collected November 10.
Full Results
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Kelvin Gastelum def. Michael Bisping — KO (punches) — R1, 2:30 — MW (PoN $50k; Bisping on SHORT NOTICE 21 days post-GSP loss; Gastelum +225 underdog; earned MW title contendership)
Li Jingliang def. Zak Ottow — TKO (punches) — R1, 2:57 — WW (PoN $50k; LI IS CHINESE; massive Shanghai home crowd; catch-kick-right-hand-GnP finish)
Wang Guan def. Alex Caceres — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — FW (Wang Guan is CHINESE; Caceres hit Guan in groin multiple times during fight)
Muslim Salikhov def. Alex Garcia — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R2, 3:22 — WW
[Anderson Silva def. Derek Brunson — Unanimous Decision — MW — LATER OVERTURNED TO NO CONTEST after Silva’s USADA positive test for methyltestosterone from Nov 10 out-of-competition sample]
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Sheymon Moraes — Submission — R3, 4:30 — FW (PoN $50k; Zabit’s 2nd consecutive UFC PoN; Rotterdam and Shanghai)
Yadong Song def. Bharat Khandare — [finish] — FW (PoN $50k; SONG’S UFC DEBUT; Chinese fighter; future top BW/FW contender)
Shamil Abdurakhimov def. Chase Sherman — HW
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: NOT AWARDED
🥇 Performance of the Night: Kelvin Gastelum + Li Jingliang + Zabit Magomedsharipov + Yadong Song — $50,000 each (4 PoN; no FotN)
Records & Milestones
• UFC’s first event in mainland China — sold-out 15,128 at Mercedes-Benz Arena Shanghai.
• Zabit Magomedsharipov’s second consecutive UFC Performance of the Night (Rotterdam FN115 + Shanghai FN122).
• Yadong Song’s UFC debut PoN — the beginning of a UFC career at featherweight then bantamweight.
Legacy & Impact
Gastelum’s Shanghai KO of Bisping launched a MW career phase that produced an interim title fight against Robert Whittaker at UFC 234 in February 2019 — where Gastelum won via TKO in round one after Whittaker collapsed before the walkout due to a medical emergency. The UFC subsequently stripped the interim title, preserving Whittaker as undisputed champion. Gastelum’s Shanghai result remains one of his most commercially significant individual performances. Li Jingliang’s Shanghai TKO was the beginning of a period in which he became the UFC’s most commercially important Chinese fighter, eventually challenging for the WW contendership with a series of bonus-earning finishes.
Zabit Magomedsharipov’s Shanghai submission was his 2nd consecutive UFC PoN and extended a UFC featherweight career that went 6-0 before his 2021 title shot against Brian Ortega at UFC Fight Night 196. Yadong Song’s Shanghai debut opened a career that moved to bantamweight, where he became one of the division’s most technically interesting finishers. Anderson Silva’s Shanghai win — overturned to a NC — added a chapter to one of MMA’s most complex USADA histories: his second positive test after his 2015 suspension.
FAQ
Was Shanghai the UFC’s first China event?
Mainland China yes — but the UFC had previously hosted events in Hong Kong (UFC 48 in 2003 at Hong Kong Coliseum) and Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China (multiple events at Venetian Macau from 2012-2016). The November 25 Shanghai card was the first event in mainland China proper, where the UFC’s regulatory and commercial relationship with Chinese sports authorities required separate approval than Hong Kong and Macau’s different legal frameworks.
How short was Bisping’s notice for the Shanghai fight?
UFC 217 on November 4, 2017 was the card where Bisping lost to GSP. UFC Fight Night 122 was November 25, 2017 — 21 days later. Bisping was 38 years old, had just undergone a five-round championship fight that ended in a third-round submission, and accepted the rematch-grade booking of Gastelum at MW within three weeks. His 186 lb weigh-in — 1 lb over the 185 lb limit for non-title MW fights — reflected the weight management challenges of rapid return competition.
What was Gastelum’s career position after Shanghai?
Gastelum was a 26-year-old American welterweight who had moved to MW. His Shanghai KO of a former UFC MW champion placed him as the MW division’s most active and dangerous contender in a landscape that had just seen GSP vacate the title after one defence. His subsequent MW career produced wins over Michael Chiesa, Ronaldo Souza, and Chris Weidman before his interim title fight against Robert Whittaker at UFC 234 — a fight he won via TKO in round one after Whittaker’s medical emergency.
Who was Li Jingliang before Shanghai?
Li Jingliang — known as ‘The Leech’ — was a 29-year-old fighter from Ulaanqab, Inner Mongolia, China who had compiled a 5-1 UFC WW record before Shanghai. His KO power and fighting style made him the UFC’s most commercially viable mainland Chinese fighter. His Shanghai booking as co-headliner was the UFC’s explicit commercial decision: a Chinese fighter in a co-main event slot ensured the home crowd had a local investment in the main card’s success.
What was Anderson Silva’s USADA situation?
Silva had served a one-year USADA suspension from 2015-2016 after testing positive for drostanolone and androstane at UFC 183. His Shanghai fight against Brunson — which he won by UD — was later overturned to a No Contest after a second USADA violation was revealed in early 2018. The violation involved a methyltestosterone positive from an out-of-competition sample collected November 10, 2017. USADA traced it to a compounding pharmacy. Silva received a one-year suspension retroactive to November 10.
Who was Yadong Song?
Song was a 20-year-old Chinese fighter from Harbin, Heilongjiang, China who debuted at Shanghai against Bharat Khandare. His UFC debut PoN was an auspicious start for a career that initially competed at featherweight before moving to bantamweight. His combination striking and finishing quality made him one of the UFC’s most technically interesting Chinese fighters. His Shanghai debut reflected the UFC’s China strategy: booking Chinese fighters for their debut at the landmark mainland China inaugural card.
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