Qileng Aori

Qileng Aori is a 32-year-old Chinese bantamweight whose name, in Mongolian, means 'universe'. He grew up in the steppes of Inner Mongolia as the son of nomadic herders, but his natural athleticism caught the eye of combat sports coaches who sent him to train Sanda under the legendary Zhao Xuejun. Over the next decade, Aori won regional Sanda titles and transitioned to mixed martial arts, compiling a 20-9 record on the Chinese circuit and eventually claiming the WLF Bantamweight Championship with a title defense.

When Aori signed with the UFC in 2021, he announced himself with a striking performance against Jeff Molina that earned a Fight of the Night bonus, even in defeat. Since then, his UFC run has been a mixed bag: he has shown flashes of real striking prowess (most notably a devastating 21-second knockout of fellow prospect Cody Gibson in October 2025 that earned his first Performance of the Night bonus) but has also been caught in losses to top-tier talent like Aiemann Zahabi and the streaky Raul Rosas Jr. His record stands at 26-12 overall, 4-4 in the UFC.

Aori fights as a patient counter-striker with a Sanda pedigree, hunting the opening with good footwork before unloading heavy overhand hands and combinations. He is at his best when he can control distance and pick his spots; in trades and scrambles, he can look vulnerable. At this stage of his career, Aori remains a solid regional fighter trying to prove he belongs in a deep bantamweight division, a testament to the long road from the steppes to the octagon.