From Shaolin temple to UFC star, China's 'Monkey King' on the move

Song Yadong was so obsessed with Chinese martial arts that he convinced his mother to send him off to learn at the feet of the famous kung fu masters of Shaolin.

He was just nine years old at the time.

"I watched a lot of kung fu movies, so I wanted to be like my heroes, like Jet Li," said Song.

"I went to Shaolin and I trained, getting up each morning at 5. It was harder than I ever expected."

A decade later, Song's thirst for action has led him into the ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and on to the biggest stage in mixed martial arts.

"I left Shaolin after two years and then I learned about MMA," said the 20-year-old.

"I like the action, I like the fact every fight tests you and that you always have to work to be the best you can be."

Song is at the forefront of the Las Vegas-based promotion's push into China, the country many consider the spiritual home of all martial arts.

The Tianjin-born fighter is among nine locals set to take part in the UFC's first fight card to be held in Beijing.

Saturday night sees the UFC Fight Night 141 event at Cadillac Arena, headlined by a blockbuster bout between heavyweight contenders Francis "The Predator" Ngannou of Cameroon and (11-3) and American Curtis "Razor" Blaydes (10-1-1).

But there's little doubt where Chinese fans' attention－and hopes－will rest.

"It will be the biggest chance for us Chinese fighters and for the sport to grow in China," said Song, who will face American Vince "Vandetta" Morales on the undercard.

Song's rise to the UFC has captured China's attention, as has the origin story he carries with him.

When he was 15, Song was so focused on becoming a professional MMA fighter that he used a forged ID card to convince local promotions that he was 18 and legally allowed to fight.

"I was super-aggressive back then," said Song. "I just wanted to fight so I used the fake ID. I looked strong enough, so they believed me."

After plying his trade in domestic and regional promotions－and racking up a record of 10-3－Song received a surprise call last November, just weeks before the UFC was set to make its debut on China's mainland.

Called in to replace an injured fighter on the UFC Fight Night 122 card, Song needed just over four minutes to choke out India's Bharat Khandare.

He's since backed up that performance with a second-round KO of Brazilian veteran Filipe Arantes in Singapore in June, and comes to Beijing with a 12-3 record overall.

"There is still a lot of room for improvement in my skills," said Song.

"I am focused on winning step by step, fight by fight. I have been training with (UFC Hall of Famer) Urijah Faber and his Team Alpha Male in California and I am learning.

"Chinese fighters need more experience but soon we will be a force."

The UFC currently has 11 Chinese fighters on its books, a mix of established stars such as the veteran welterweight Li "The Leech" Jingliang and rising stars such as Song and female strawweight Zhang Weili, with all three in action on Saturday.

This week the organization announced an investment of around $13 million in what it called the world's biggest MMA academy in Shanghai, designed to help Chinese fighters make the transition from smaller fight promotions to the UFC octagon.

Song has recently replaced "The Terminator" as his fight name with "The Monkey King", in reference to the mythical Chinese hero Sun Wukong.

He believes China's rich history in martial arts－and its fighters－makes it well positioned as MMA continues to take hold.

"We have the history in China," said Song. "This is only the beginning."