But unlike the other traditional martial arts frauds Xu has pulverised on his mission to expose “fake kung fu”, Yi Long can actually fight.

Competing in yellow trousers with a shaved head, he has previously billed himself as the “No 1 Shaolin kung fu monk”.

But a Shaolin Temple spokesman said in December 2010 that he “is neither a kung fu monk of Shaolin Temple, nor could he be named as the No 1 Shaolin kung fu monk at all”.

Still, he is no joke. Yi Long is a Chinese Wushu and Sanshou kick-boxer who is self-trained in Shaolin kung fu, with a kick-boxing record of 61-12-1.

“Shaolin kung fu and Muay Thai have many things in common,” he has said. “Muay Thai is good at steel knees, iron elbows and iron legs, those who master Muay Thai have strong defences.

“It’s the same in Shaolin kung fu. In Shaolin we have iron fists, iron legs and iron cloth,” he added, meaning the body is hard enough to defend any attack.

Many observers have been saying Xu will get his comeuppance one day when he stops fighting such feeble opposition, and Yi Long could be the man to provide a challenge by combining the strengths of kung fu with more modern fighting practices.

Despite being just 1.76-metres tall and weighing 76 kilograms, he got a TKO win against the 2.2-metres tall Korean super-heavyweight Choi Hong-man at knockout-only promotion MAS Fight’s debut event in Macau last November with a brutal spinning back kick to the body.

Chinese media reported that MAS Fight would like to book a fight between Yi Long and Xu, though said a deal hasn’t been completed yet and they are trying to confirm the news soon.

Yi Long has previously called out Xu, writing on his microblog in 2017 he would not tolerate Xu’s belittling of traditional martial arts, and called him a “shameless fraud”.

If the details can be ironed out, Xu is in for a much stiffer challenge – Yi Long has held his own against Buakaw Banchamek, fighting the Muay Thai legend twice with one win apiece.

He is also thought to be the unnamed Chinese kick-boxer that MMA coach John Kavanagh said had offered UFC star Conor McGregor US$5 million for a fight last month.

“He would absolutely massacre Xu Xiaodong,” was the verdict of another observer of Xu’s embarrassingly one-sided fight against Tian on YouTube.

“Yi Long is going to crush Xu Xiaodong,” another wrote. “Xiaodong has never come across as particularly adroit or athletic; it’s what makes his easy wins over traditional Chinese martial arts guys so notable.

“Yi Long, on the other hand, is a very good professional fighter who is in peak shape.”

It would certainly be a tougher challenge than most of Xu’s fights – he usually takes on opponents smaller and older than him, who have little to no fight training.

It’s not his fault, of course, that these fools masquerading as “masters” in traditional martial arts choose to challenge him.

Still, a video of Tian slowly limping through the airport has surfaced online, showing just how brutal Xu’s kicks, elbows and punches can be.

Tian Ye can console himself with the 3 million yuan he earned just for fighting – a Chinese tycoon promised him 30 million yuan if he could win, such is the anger Xu has caused among some in the traditional martial arts community – but Yi Long is not some bum picked off the street.

“I just hope that Xu Xiaodong takes his match with Yi Long more seriously than he did this one,” a commenter said.

Indeed, Xu has some legitimate skill and experience and can hold his own – he puts in the hours training in his Beijing gym – but he can’t afford to drop his hands to his waist and showboat here.

If he can put together a proper defensive strategy, it could lead to an interesting fight. Either way, it will certainly be more competitive that his mauling of poor old Tian Ye.