Eight years ago today at ONE Championship, Li Kaiwen knocked out Emilio Utiia with a rough but ultra-aggressive fighting style. The finish remains a notable moment from the promotion's history.
Eight years ago at ONE Championship, Li Kaiwen delivered a knockout finish over Emilio Utiia, cementing a moment that still resonates in the promotion's early history.
Li Kaiwen, known by the nickname "The Underdog," is a 30-year-old fighter who currently holds a professional record of 15 wins and 6 losses. Standing five-foot-eight with a reach of 71 inches, he operates out of a switch stance, giving him the ability to attack from multiple angles. His style is built around volume and aggression — he lands 4.02 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 51 percent, numbers that reflect the relentless, forward-moving pressure that defined his finish of Utiia that night. His grappling output is modest, averaging 0.54 takedowns per 15 minutes, which underscores that his path to victory typically runs through his hands.
The knockout of Utiia was described as rough but relentlessly aggressive, the kind of finish that showcased Li's willingness to walk through adversity to get the job done — a trait that likely earned him his fighting alias in the first place.
Why it matters
- The finish highlighted Li Kaiwen's high-output striking style on a major Asian MMA platform during ONE Championship's formative years.
- It remains one of the more memorable stoppages from that era of the promotion's history.
- Looking back at the performance adds context to Li's career arc, as he has since built a 15-6 record across a lengthy run in the sport.
