Zhang "Magnum" Weili

Growing up, Weili watched a lot of kung fu movies, which inspired her to begin training in martial arts at six years old. The certainly proved her talent, having won several Sanda championships. However, it was put on hold since she suffered from too many injuries and could not really train.

At 17, she moved to Beijing, starting to work odd jobs to make ends meet. Long story short, she landed back in the gym-only this time, not as an athlete, but as the girl at the front desk. The passion for martial arts did not fade, though. She would train with all the gym members who, over time, became her friends.

All this hard work and pure talent did not go unnoticed: a coach, who was later to become an important figure in her career, realized this potential and then took her under his wing, introducing her into the world of MMA.

"He promised me if I put in the hard work, he would find the best crew to train me" - Zhang Weili on her head coach

Weili made her MMA debut in 2013, but at the time was still moonlighting at the front desk of the gym. She lost her first fight, an awful thud to what had been sky-high confidence. Any fighter will tell you, that losing your debut can be crushing.

"After my first professional fight, I lost. At that moment, I thought maybe I wasn't good enough and considered giving up. But my coach told me that if I truly wanted to pursue this as a career, I needed to commit fully. So I did, and that loss became my biggest motivation to improve." - Zhang Weili

Having sensed her disappointment, her coach gave the necessary advice. If she were seriously intending to continue as an MMA professional, then quitting work to train herself for fights would be justifiable. Taking that from the horse's mouth, Weili finally plunged headstrongly into this line.

It turned out to be the best decision she ever made, as she went on an incredible eleven-fight winning streak, proving her resiliency and skill. Dominant in the cage, her skills caught the attention of the world's biggest MMA promotion, the UFC, where she would take her career to new heights.

It became apparent that winning was second nature to Weili after she won three in a row and earned herself the title shot against current champion Jessica Andrade. No Asian fighter ever competed for a UFC title, much less had one, so this was going to be historic.

Fans flocked to witness the history of UFC's event in China. Weili made a dramatic and emphatic win as she required only 48 seconds to beat Andrade and made history, being the first Asian champion in UFC. That was a great personal victory, yet more importantly one that has brought honor to the history of Asian martial arts.

"My name is Zhang Weili! I am from China! Remember me!" - Zhang Weili to the crowd

The next fight for Weili would be one of her toughest, against former champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk. The two warriors put on an unforgettable fight-one that went down as one of the best fights in UFC history. Weili emerged victoriously via unanimous decision after five grueling rounds, taking her career to a whole new level.

Her next title defense came with a shocking defeat, though, as facing another former champion in Rose Namajunas, she lost her belt. Via a KO loss, the rematch followed ends in a close decision which favored Rose. With two straight losses to the champion, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Weili would not be getting a title shot and hope was lost.

"I think I performed better than in the first fight, but the result is what it is. I have no excuses. I will go back, keep training, and come back stronger." - Zhang Weili on her lost

Yet Weili never let her head drop, and on her return fight, she started the climb upwards with an outstanding performance, reinstituting her status as one of the challengers. Then after Rose finally lost the belt, Weili was given a shot at it again. The Chinese star didn't let it slip this time around, absolutely dominating the defending champion and regaining the belt, stamping her name as arguably one of the greatest strawweight ever.

She did not stop there: She defended her title with two more victories in a row and continues to reign as champion, taking on the next generation of challengers. Humble, respectful, and sporting, Weili has built a reputation as a role model in the MMA world. Being the first and only Asian UFC champion, she remains a source of pride for the Asian community proof that with persistence and hard work, one can achieve greatness.

"No matter how difficult the path is, as long as you keep moving forward, you will reach your destination." - Zhang Weili