Pathway to glory

Born to parents who were both coal mine workers in Handan, Hebei province, Zhang was sent to a sports school for training in sanda, or Chinese kickboxing, when she was 12, due to her restless nature and interest in kung fu.

Despite tough training and living conditions at the school, where there were only about 20 girls among 300 students, Zhang persevered and survived, building her physical and mental strength that saw her claim a succession of provincial titles after she turned 14.

However, the underdeveloped combat sports scene in China at the time was nowhere near the marketable business today that provides lucrative contracts and consistent fighting opportunities, with television broadcasts and livestream coverage.

The bleak prospects forced Zhang to decide on other career options when she graduated from the school in 2010. In just two years, she changed jobs from being a kindergarten teacher, to fitness trainer and even a security guard until she met her long-term mentor Cai Xuejun, founder of the Black Tiger Fighting Club in Beijing and one of the earliest MMA promoters in China.

Guided by Cai at his club, Zhang quit her job at a fitness gym to focus fully on becoming a professional MMA athlete by adding grappling, wrestling and Brazilian jiujitsu workouts to her already exceptional kickboxing skill.

After a few fights that were promoted domestically, in which she built a convincing record, in 2018, Zhang earned a contract from UFC, one of the world's biggest MMA organizations, rising to international stardom the following year and never looking back.

With Zhang now spearheading UFC's expansion in China, and a group of her younger compatriots joining up to fight across the world, MMA is making deeper inroads in the nation, where there has always been an interest in martial arts, underlined by action movies featuring kung fu stars such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

Kevin Chang, UFC's senior vice-president for Asia, credited Zhang for almost single-handedly opening the gate to perhaps the biggest untapped market for combat sports.

"It's been phenomenal," Chang told China Daily last year. "Weili is the North Star and a great inspiration to all our fighters in China. There is no question that she's entered into the collective consciousness in Asia."

Chang told the Forbes website in another interview: "To see her come back from her last loss to Rose (Namajunas), who's the best in the world ... and then look at the improvements that Zhang Weili made to her game ... she really upped it to the level where she was right there with very best in the world.

"I think what's next for her is that she's going to work her way back. We have full faith and confidence that she'll be able to do that."

To match Zhang's impact, UFC has invested in an increasing number of facilities and resources to scout for and develop local talent in China, signing up 27 fighters, including some who have retired.

To anchor its talent cultivation program in China, UFC opened its Performance Institute in Shanghai in June 2019－an addition to a similar facility it has in Las Vegas. The Shanghai institute, which occupies 8,600 square meters, offers promising Chinese athletes a range of physical training, skills development and rehabilitation services, as well as amenities such as diet food and cryotherapy chambers for recovery.