Xiaomi ROAD FC 042 Spotlight: Aorigele

The Kungfu Panda reveals his strategy for future low blows

On Xiaomi ROAD FC 042 this Saturday, September 23, Aorigele will face his sixth opponent in the ROAD FC cage, Masuda Yusuke.

The phenom that is Aorigele garnered even more worldwide attention in his last match versus Myung Hyun-Man. Early in the first round, almost without a single shot fired, Myung threw a kick as Aorigele was coming in and it landed with a thwack square in the groin.

Aorigele crumpled to the canvas and writhed in agony for what seemed like ages as a blanket was brought in so the doctor could assess the damage. When he finally was able to get up and leave the cage, the whole audience moaned in sympathy.

The gruesome display was picked up by media outlets and television networks across the globe. Aorigele's misfortune became his sensation. If Aorigele had been a superstar in China, now he had become “the nut shot heard around the world”.

Fame is something the young sanda champion from Xi'an Sports University in China is quite comfortable with. Since he started his career with ROAD FC, the rotund, cute, humorous bruiser has been a part of both fight events and MMA reality shows. In front of his family, he knocked out the imposing Bob Sapp. He put the hurt on Yusuke Kawaguchi. He stood up to Choi Hong-Man and may have fallen short, it still added to his star power.

Yet the cage is still where Aorigele wants to do his most impressive performing. His fight with Myung was a big disappointment, not just because of the pain.

“I'm just sorry. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to put on a great match.”

Myung has thrown quite a few shots that connected with groins recently, but Aorigele doesn't see much behind it.

“The low blow was just a normal accident. There's nothing to say.”

Aorigele went to the hospital immediately, and was in quite some pain for a while. Fortunately, the doctor on the spot assessed that he'd taken no lasting or permanent damage. Future Aorigeles are still an option for him. He's now completely recovered physically, although mentally this type of accident could still create a lingering shadow in anyone.

“If I told you I didn't think about another low blow, that would be a lie. Because of what happened, I do have an uncomfortable feeling about it in my mind. But it's just something I have to get over. I will overcome it in a little while. When I climb into the cage, I won't think about it and just concentrate on winning. I am preparing myself in this way. It is my own task to solve.”

Aorigele is now ready to face his next opponent, Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye Tournament Champion Masuda Yusuke. Masuda has fought opponents around the world since 2005 and has racked up over 20 fights in doing so. His age and experience are going to be tough factors for Aorigele.

“I don't really know Masuda, but when I watched tape on him, his wrestling looks strong. Okay then. Let's see whose wrestling is stronger.”

The young Inner Mongolian has been maturing in his fight game. It shows when he speaks now, more about fight topics than his normal jocularity.

“My training is basically the same as always. Increase stamina, increase intensity. But I'm thinking a lot more about strategy now. I'm doing more high intensity workouts to raise my physical strength, but I'm also practicing with specific tactics that I think I can use in the next fight.”

Aorigele knows his opponents are only going to get more and more prominent. This time, he changed it up a bit. After starting his camp with the Xindu Martial Arts Club, he ended with a sting in Korea at the ROAD FC official gym.

“It's been three months since my last fight, and other than the accidental low blow, I had no injuries. So I've rested a lot. And during preparation for this match, I've had no tension whatsoever. In fact I've been really comfortable in training. I've come to Korea early, and I'm going to make good use of the training here and my strategy in the cage. Right now, everything feels excellent.”

Going into the cage for his next match on this Saturday, Aorigele is well-prepared to meet his next challenge. But one “what if” still remains on the lips of his fans.

“If it happens again, I won't get emotional, I'll just admit that it's sometimes an accident that occurs in a fight. But, if it's intentional... you can bet I will beat him with a club!”

Aorigele versus Masuda Yusuke takes place on Xiaomi ROAD FC 042 this Saturday, September 23 at the Chungju World Martial Arts Festival, broadcast live and free around the world on the ROAD FC YouTube channel.