Known among teammates for his striking good looks, Li Jingliang will fight the undefeated Bae Myung Ho for the Welterweight title in the upcoming Legend 7 tournament. The Leech reveals the truth behind his bloodsucking nickname and whether he’s intimidated by his opponents.

We love fighters’ nicknames. Can you tell us why exactly you’re called ‘The Leech’?
My team started calling me that because of my fighting style. I like to suck the blood out of my opponent using wrestling and jiu-jitsu. And also, of course, for my outstanding looks [laughs sarcastically].

Did you fight a lot as a kid?
I grew up in a village in Xinjiang. We were competitive kids. We fought to find out who was the strongest but we never bullied the weak.

When you told your friends and family you were going to become a professional fighter, what did they think?
I got a lot of support from my family. Even now, when I talk to my family on the phone, they encourage me to train hard and to be the best fighter I can. My friends were also very supportive because we grew up and trained in martial arts together. A lot of them stopped [fighting] – they either quit or got injured. So only a few of us are still training.

What’s your martial arts background? What influenced you to start doing MMA?
I was 14 when I started training in wrestling. I trained in wrestling for four years before I started in sanda (‘free fighting’), which I did for another three years. Then I got the chance to come to Beijing where I met Ruy Menezes – my MMA coach.

So, what do people in China think of MMA?
The Chinese are becoming more familiar with MMA. One day, the Chinese Government will fully open up MMA to the nation, which will bring a lot of local MMA competitions. By then, Legend will become very, very big – and its influence will be even bigger than UFC in China. I am proud to fight in the Legend Fighting Championship.

How do the Chinese feel about MMA as a sport?
The Chinese love martial arts. We have many different styles of martial arts. Which style is the strongest? That was the original reason why people started doing MMA a long time ago. There are some martial arts styles in the Olympics already – boxing, judo, wrestling. MMA is a global sport and I wish to see it in the Olympics one day.

There are a lot of fighters from China practicing MMA. How do Chinese people decide who to support? Do regions or provinces come into it?
Fans only like fighters with personality and character; fighters who are honest, respectful to their opponent and audience, and give an exciting fight – no matter whether they win or lose. It doesn’t matter where the fighter is from.

Your next fight is against Bae Myung Ho – the ‘Wolverine’. He’s undefeated in Legend… are you intimidated?
Bae Myung Ho calls himself the Wolverine. I think this is shameful. I would like to call him a fox – a coward. He is sneaky. He only tries to score and be safe. He is scared to stand toe-to-toe with his opponent. I’m not intimidated at all. I don’t consider this as a title fight. I just see it as someone for me to beat up.

Do you prepare differently for each opponent or let them worry more about you?
My opponents should worry more about what I will do to them.

Interview: Chinmoy Lad

Catch The Leech taking on Bae Myung Ho at Legend 7 Grand Hyatt in Macau on February 11
Tickets: $680-$1280, cityofdreamsmacau.com