It closed the chapter on a strange debut for Lui, who had three different opponents fall through before ultimately signing on to compete against Santiago.

Santiago, 33, took the bout on about 10 days’ notice for his first bout since May.

Coming into the bout, Santiago’s professional mixed martial arts record of 6-1 with five wins by knockout, coupled with his background in boxing, suggested he would be coming to strike with the City Kickboxing-trained Lui.

Lui, who had a more well-rounded skill set but was at a speed and power disadvantage, tried to slow Santiago down with leg kicks but was largely happy to trade strikes in the first round, with a few good jabs and a solid right hand landing.

Santiago was able to get Lui walking backwards from the outset, which allowed him to dictate the action. The few attempts Lui made to initiate some wrestling were thwarted by Santiago, whose combinations – many of which were well blocked by Lui – won him the first round.

As the second round began, Lui looked more confident with his shot selection and found a home for some good punches. However, one exchange proved to be the fight decider, with Santiago getting the better of it.

It ended a poor weekend for the Kiwi contingent in Shanghai, after fellow bantamweight Kasib Murdoch was eliminated from the Road To UFC season five tournament in the semi-finals by Nepalese fighter Rabindra Dhant in a split decision.

In a clash of styles with the wrestling-heavy approach of Murdoch and the striking preference of Dhant, the latter was able to do enough to get the nod from two of the three judges, with the second round being the swing round.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.