UFC Fight Night: Liu Ce vs Levi Rodrigues Jr. Preview & Prediction

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A light heavyweight main card bout gives K1 champion Liu Ce his octagon debut, on the other side a Brazilian finisher looking to bounce back on six weeks’ rest.

Liu Ce vs Levi Rodrigues Jr. facts

What time are Liu Ce and Levi Rodrigues Jr. expected to walk out? 29 August 2026 at 11:45 am

Where is UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song? SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center, Shanghai, China

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 286

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song main card

Umar Nurmagomedov vs Song Yadong (Bantamweight)

Yan Xiaonan vs Denise Gomes (Women's Strawweight)

Aori Qileng vs Kai Asakura (Bantamweight)

Su Mudaerji vs Alex Perez (Flyweight)

Liu Ce vs Levi Rodrigues Jr. (Light Heavyweight)

Bilal Hasan vs Nilson Rojas (Flyweight)

UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song prelims

Namsrai Batbayar vs Andre Lima (Flyweight)

Rei Tsuruya vs Kevin Borjas (Flyweight)

Jack Jenkins vs Sean Woodson (Featherweight)

Xiao Long vs Francesco Nuzzi (Bantamweight)

Lawrence Lui vs Hector Santiago (Bantamweight)

Xiong Jingnan vs Julia Polastri (Women's Strawweight)

Ding Meng vs Cameron Nelson (Welterweight)

Liu Ce: “The Oriental Dragon” brings a K1 pedigree to the octagon

Liu Ce (3-1) arrives with far more kickboxing mileage than MMA experience. The Chinese Sanda stylist holds an 18-3 kickboxing record with 14 KOs, is the former K1 cruiserweight champion, and won the K1 30th anniversary open weight tournament. Standing 6’5” with a 78-inch reach he is enormous for the division, and all three of his MMA wins have come by knockout. He is a highly technical striker built on heavy leg and calf kick combinations, and he changes the angle of his entries beautifully, covering an entrance with a shot before angling out to fire the straight.

Levi Rodrigues Jr.: “Baby Monster” returns quickly from a humbling debut

Levi Rodrigues Jr (5-1, 1NC) is back on six weeks’ rest after Felipe Franco mauled him in July, taking mount in both rounds before finishing him with ground and pound. His UFC contract came with a first-round stoppage of Freddy Vidal on the Contender series, a result later overturned to a no contest after he tested positive for PEDs, drawing a nine-month suspension and a fine. Every pro win on his record has come by stoppage. He is a Muay Thai rooted pressure fighter with heavy hands and little regard for defence.

Liu Ce vs Levi Rodrigues Jr. prediction

The striking gap here is enormous. Rodrigues sticks behind basic but powerful boxing and the occasional low kick at range, then gets wild once he’s in the pocket. Liu has twenty-one professional kickboxing bouts and a K1 tournament trophy to show for it. Liu will chop the calves from the opening bell and Rodrigues simply doesn’t have an answer, nor the footwork to punish a man giving up nothing in size. 

Also, Rodrigues has changed. He started slower against Franco, more patient, more wary of what was coming back, choosing when to explode rather than hunting the finish from the bell. The trouble is his tank doesn’t support even that reduced output, and when it empties, his defensive wrestling collapses entirely, exactly what Franco exposed in the second round.

If Rodrigues has the discipline to change levels and try get this on the floor, there’s a version of this where he drags the debutant into unfamiliar territory. Liu will also need to avoid shelling up under a blitz, a habit that works with padded kickboxing gloves but less here. Rodrigues has never looked like a wrestler though, so expect him to want to trade, for the legs to go early. The movement will be gone when he walks out for the second, and Liu will finish it there.

Prediction: Liu Ce to win by KO/TKO in round two