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Chapter 294 - 267: The Center of Attention, The Successor of Traditional Martial Arts

Chapter 294: Chapter 267: The Center of Attention, The Successor of Traditional Martial Arts

"Wow, so cool."

The girl with the ponytail gazed at the stage with sparkling eyes, causing the jealousy of her male companion at her side, who kept telling himself: It’s just an idol, just an idol, they’re never going to happen...

On the big screen, the footage being played showed Wu Li swiftly moving around the streets, dodging bullets—it was the attack from September 22.

Wu Li had no past fight record in UFC, and ordinarily, there wouldn’t be anything to show at this time, but now that the organizers played this video, it immediately ignited the atmosphere of the venue.

"Wu Li!"

"Wu Li!"

"Wu Li!"

The Chinese international students and some people from Hua Country in the audience all stood up, shouting Wu Li’s name with a passion that no other fighter had ever received before.

Wu Li smiled and waved to the crowd below. As he walked to the center of the stage, the big screen behind him just so happened to freeze on the image of him piercing the Knife Man’s chest with a spear.

Amidst a tremendous cheer and screams, Wu Li stepped onto the electronic scale.

"Is he really weighing in like this?" Many people wondered in their minds.

At UFC weigh-ins, every fighter would prefer to wear as little as possible to keep their weight as low as possible, so the men would only wear ultra-thin shorts, while the women would also have a sports bra.

Over time, everyone had become accustomed to this pattern where fighters could show off their physiques, the distinct muscle lines, the powerful-looking images—another highlight of the weigh-in event.

But Wu Li’s attire this time was different from all previous fighters, with a sense of Eastern reserve and a more dignified air.

Such an entrance was fine, but weighing in like this? That outfit of Wu Li’s looked heavy!

The pre-fight weigh-in is a ritual of precise comparison, with fighters hoping their weight is just right, not too much under the limit, because they need to regain their weight as much as possible after the weigh-in. At that moment, every ounce could be vital.

Do not underestimate such a small difference in weight—like weightlifters pushing their limits, even a slight increase could lead to collapse, the proverbial last straw that breaks the camel’s back.

The same principle applies to fighting; when both fighters are nearly drained, a couple of extra pounds could make one feel immovable, unpushable, resulting in a disadvantage.

Therefore, fighters control their weight with utmost precision, and there had never been a case of someone weighing in fully clothed at the ceremony.

"154 pounds (69.8kg), pass!" the referee announced loudly.

The crowd erupted into cheers, Wu Li gave a fist salute to the audience and then walked to the side to shake hands with Dana White.

Dana White, with a full smile, patted Wu Li’s shoulder affectionately and asked him to stand aside.

Recently, William had been continuously rejected, which upset Dana White’s plans, but Dana White still appeared quite cordial, seemingly unconcerned that Wu Li had refused William’s contract.

"Please welcome the Lightweight fighter from Australia, Dan Hu!"

As the host’s voice fell, the last fighter of the day’s weigh-in made his entrance.

This time, the cheer and applause were a bit softer than before but still animated, as Dan Hu was quite popular after all.

On the big screen, footage of Dan Hu knocking out or submitting opponents played.

To the beat of the explosive music, a man in black shorts with clearly defined muscles walked onto the stage.

"Why isn’t Wu Li leaving the stage?" asked the ponytail girl to her male companion, "Didn’t the previous people who weighed in go directly down?"

The young man laughed, "Because Wu Li and Dan Hu’s fight is the main event, so after they weigh in, there is a face-off session. It’s to build up the pre-fight hype, to spice up the atmosphere."

Sure enough, after Dan Hu completed his weigh-in and the referee declared pass, he walked towards Dana White to shake hands, then approached Wu Li for a face-off, with Dana White ready to separate them at any moment.

During these pre-fight confrontations, the fighters often provoked each other, pointing at each other’s noses and shouting, sometimes even leading to physical conflict, which required Dana White to intervene and keep them apart.

Provoking each other before the official fight announcement, trash-talking in the media afterward, and then facing off at the weigh-in ceremony—this series of setups is a standard UFC promotional tactic, and fans love to see the fighters verbally sparring and challenging each other.

Many fights gain heat through these tactics, and UFC needs these provocative fighters who can stir up the opponent’s anger and the audience’s passion; like the current Featherweight champion, who was also a Lightweight champion, Conrad, nicknamed ’The Mouth,’ who is a genius in this respect.

Although Wu Li had never lost at trash-talking either, he typically preferred actions over words, so he hadn’t said any explosive remarks to the media before the fight. As for Dan Hu, being a well-known fighter, it wouldn’t look good provoking Wu Li who had no fighting record yet, as it would seem demeaning, so in pre-fight interviews, he had just expressed some disdain for Wu Li.

Now as they faced each other, their heights similar, they could look directly into each other’s eyes.

"%￥@#..."

Dan Hu said something to Wu Li. Wu Li didn’t understand and didn’t react.