Updated August 28, 2026
Liu Ce and Levi Rodrigues Jr. meet in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Shanghai on Saturday, August 29, 2026. The matchup pairs 2 dangerous finishers whose professional MMA fights have never reached the scorecards. Liu enters his UFC debut with extensive high-level kickboxing experience, while Rodrigues returns only 6 weeks after a difficult promotional debut.
Fighter | Age | Height | Reach | Stance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liu Ce | 29 | 6'5" | 77.5" | Orthodox | 3-1 |
Levi Rodrigues Jr. | 29 | 6'0" | 76.5" | Orthodox | 5-1, 1 NC |
Liu’s 3-1 MMA record tells only a small part of his combat-sports story. The Chinese striker owns an 18-3 professional kickboxing record with 14 knockouts. He captured the K-1 Cruiserweight title and won the K-1 Openweight Grand Prix, establishing that his power and technique can hold up against experienced opposition.
His kickboxing work is built around clean straight punches, a heavy right hand, and damaging low kicks. Liu does not need to swing wildly to create a finish. He can attack an opponent’s base, force hurried stance changes and then bring punches through the middle. At 6'5", he should also enjoy a clear visual advantage over the 6'0" Rodrigues, even though their listed reaches are separated by fewer than 2 inches.
Liu has won each of his 3 MMA victories by KO or TKO. Most recently, he stopped Igor Barabanov with leg kicks and punches at 4:56 of the opening round in May 2026. His lone professional MMA defeat came against Ivan Gnizditskiy in October 2024, when Liu was stopped by punches in the second round. That result is an important reminder that his striking pedigree does not make him untouchable in smaller gloves.
There are still legitimate questions surrounding Liu’s defensive wrestling, cage awareness, and ability to operate from his back. His MMA career contains only 4 completed fights, and his strongest accomplishments have come under kickboxing rules. If Rodrigues can force prolonged clinches or bring the fight to the mat, Liu will have to prove that he has developed a more well-rounded game.
The trouble for Rodrigues is that his latest performance did little to suggest he can reliably impose that kind of plan. Felipe Franco defeated him by second-round TKO on July 18. Rodrigues landed 11 of 32 significant strikes, absorbed 39 of 56, and surrendered 3 takedowns on 6 attempts. Franco accumulated 3:51 of control time before finishing the fight with punches and elbows from full mount.
Rodrigues was especially ineffective once placed underneath Franco. He recorded no control time, no takedown attempts, and no submission attempts. The Brazilian remains dangerous, though. All 5 of his professional victories have come by KO or TKO, and he showed his power during his regional run. His Contender Series appearance against Freddy Vidal also ended with a first-round knockout, though the result was later changed to a no contest following a failed drug test. Rodrigues served a 9-month suspension before making his UFC debut.
Rodrigues’ clearest route is to make the bout untidy. He should pressure Liu into the fence, attack the body, pursue takedowns, and prevent the taller man from establishing kicking range. Standing at the end of Liu’s jab and low kicks would be a poor tactical choice. Rodrigues has enough power to punish an error, but relying on a single counter is a thin plan against an opponent accustomed to high-level striking exchanges.
Liu’s ground game remains the largest uncertainty in the matchup, and the low Polymarket volume means the 63¢ price should not be treated as fully settled. Even so, Rodrigues has not yet shown the takedown offense or positional control needed to target that weakness. Liu’s length, low kicks, and more refined shot selection should allow him to dictate most of the exchanges. My prediction is Liu Ce to win, with a stoppage in the opening 2 rounds the most likely result.