Surging Brazilian MMA star ready for “strong and experienced” Zhang Lipeng

Rising Brazilian MMA star Lucas Gabriel has impressed fans throughout his ONE Championship tenure. Now that he’s reached the mainstage, he’s ready to test his skills against Zhang Lipeng.

The 25-year-old will have the chance to do just that when he meets the battle-tested Lipeng. This happens under lightweight MMA rules at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II. Fans can catch the action this Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

Gabriel won a trio of bouts to graduate from ONE Friday Fights, rounding it off with a third-round submission to earn a US$100,000 main roster contract.

Arriving on the global roster pits you against the very best martial artists in the world. Gabriel knows Lipeng will be his sternest challenge yet, but he feels more than capable of tackling the Chinese warrior.

“I know Zhang Lipeng is a strong and experienced opponent. He has fought in major events, so I believe he will be a great challenge for me,” he said.

“I see a lot of gaps in Zhang’s game, both on the ground and standing, and I want to take advantage of those gaps.”

Lucas Gabriel plans to assert his superiority over Zhang Lipeng

Lightweight MMA phenom Lucas Gabriel has plenty of respect for Zhang Lipeng’s accomplishments, but he promises he won’t flinch when he arrives on the main roster this weekend.

Across the Chinese standout’s four-year run in ONE, he’s previously defeated former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Eduard Folayang. He also dispatched fierce finisher Hiroyuki Tetsuka this past February to show he’s still as deadly as ever.

It would be naive of Gabriel not to acknowledge his foe’s skill set. However, with six finishes in nine victories, the 25-year-old promises to show that his arsenal is much sharper.

“He is dangerous both standing and on the ground, has a lot of knockout power, and has a lot of submissions in his career,” he said.

“He is a complete MMA fighter, just like me, but I believe I am better than him in all areas, and I will prove that in the fight.”