Yao Honggang celebrates his win over his opponent Jadambaa Munkhbayar (left) in their MMA bout in the Kunlun Fight tournament in Zhoukou, in China’s Henan province. AFP PHOTO
ZHOUKOU, China: As he pinned his opponent down and punched him repeatedly in the head, Yao “The Master” Honggang was — like other emerging Chinese mixed martial arts fighters — beating his way out of rural poverty.