Liu Ce made a statement in his UFC debut, surviving a wild firefight with Levi Rodrigues Jr. before blasting him with a fight-ending right hand late in the opening round.

The Chinese light heavyweight entered UFC Shanghai with just four professional fights under his belt, but showed no hesitation against Rodrigues Jr. from the opening bell. The Brazilian was also looking to bounce back after suffering a defeat in his UFC debut.

Liu Ce Survives Wild Exchanges Before Folding Levi Rodrigues Jr. At UFC Shanghai

Both light heavyweights immediately traded at a blistering pace, with Liu Ce mixing in sharp calf and body kicks while Rodrigues Jr. fired back with heavy punches. Rodrigues eventually caught one of Ce’s kicks and tried to force him against the fence, but Ce showed solid takedown defense before reversing position.

The fight then erupted. Ce dropped Rodrigues Jr. with a clean shot, and although the Brazilian scrambled back to his feet, he looked visibly hurt. Ce continued pressing forward, landing another damaging combination before trapping Rodrigues against the fence and unloading punches and knees in the clinch.

Somehow, Rodrigues survived the onslaught and made it back to open space, but Ce wasn’t finished. The pair continued trading until Ce connected with a thudding right hand that sent Rodrigues Jr. face-first to the canvas, forcing the referee to intervene at 4:26 of Round 1 at UFC Shanghai.

The spectacular victory gives Ce a winning UFC debut and improves his professional record to 4-1, while Rodrigues Jr. falls to 5-2 professionally and 0-2 inside the Octagon.