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Chinese mixed martial arts fighter Xu Xiaodong rose to fame exposing fake kung fu – now he just wants to ‘survive’
- When China’s most controversial fighter headed to Bangkok for the biggest match of his career, his first concern was whether he would be allowed on the flight
- Back in Beijing, he has faced visits from unnamed officials and repeated suspensions of his social media accounts
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This article was written by Qin Chen and Arman Dzidzovic, and originally appeared in Inkstone, a daily digest of six China-focused stories.
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When Xu Xiaodong, China’s most controversial mixed martial artist, beat former Japanese kick-boxing champion Yuichiro Nagashima in a Bangkok ring last November, he let out a few victorious screams.
Then he stopped. He had just won the biggest fight of his career, but he did not want to be seen celebrating. “If I look too happy, there will be more people coming after me,” Xu said after the fight.
The 41-year-old said that a few weeks earlier he was worried he might not be allowed to leave Beijing.
“It would be hard for other athletes to imagine what I’m going through,” he said, a week before he was due to travel to Bangkok.
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“My fight organisers are withholding all promotion. They’re afraid that I won’t be able to leave China. I honestly can’t believe I have sunk this low.”
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