Tang, who became the first Chinese man to win a world title under a major MMA promotion by dethroning US veteran Thanh Le to capture the featherweight crown in August 2022, has now defended his strap twice after defeating Le in a rematch in March 2024.

Tang's loss to Abdullaev last year did not cost his featherweight belt due to the opponent's weight miss, which had forced what was supposed to be a title fight to be agreed as a catchweight bout.

"To defend my crown, and representing China, on foreign soil is a huge honor for me," Tang said in his post-fight interview from the ring.

"I've prepared hard for this fight and I've learned my lessons from the last fight. I know where my weaknesses are and I've trained hard to improve them.

"I am really glad to prove myself again and keep the title in China."