Zhang Weili

Zhang Weili
Zhang Weili
Born	August 13, 1990 (age 36); Handan, Hebei, China
Occupation	Professional mixed martial artist
Years active	2013–present
Known for	Current and two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion; first Chinese UFC champion

Zhang Weili (; born August 13, 1990) is a Chinese professional mixed martial artist competing in the women's Strawweight category of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She holds the distinction of being the current and two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion and is recognized as the first Chinese athlete to capture a UFC title. Since turning professional in 2013, Zhang has also competed for Kunlun Fight (KLF), where she was the KLF Women's Strawweight Champion. As of September 5, 2023, she is positioned at #2 on the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

Background

Born in Handan, Hebei, China, Zhang Weili comes from a modest family; her father worked as a miner before retiring, while her mother is a homemaker. She has an elder brother who left his career in gold trading to support her ambitions and currently works at her training facility.

Her introduction to martial arts began at age six with training in Shaolin Kung Fu, inspired by watching Kung Fu films. During primary school, she engaged in athletics, football, and table tennis. At twelve, Zhang enrolled in a specialized martial arts institution in Handan, focusing on disciplines such as Sanda and Shuai Jiao. After securing several provincial Sanda championships in Hebei, she joined the Jiangsu provincial Sanda team but eventually withdrew due to persistent back problems.

At seventeen, Zhang relocated to Beijing where she took on various roles including supermarket cashier, kindergarten teacher, security guard, and hotel receptionist. By 2010, she became a fitness coach at a gym in Beijing, which allowed her after-hours access to training equipment. Observing other fighters sparked her interest in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which she began learning informally. Later transitioning to a front desk position at the gym, she met MMA trailblazer Wu Haotian. In 2012, Wu introduced her to Black Tiger Fight Club, where coach Cai Xuejun recognized her talent and started formal MMA training.

In 2019, Zhang acknowledged Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen as a key influence; his movie Flashpoint played a role in introducing her to MMA. Additionally, she credits Ronda Rousey’s 2013 bout against Liz Carmouche as a pivotal motivator that led her to leave her job and fully commit to mixed martial arts.

Early career

Zhang embarked on her professional MMA journey in 2013. Although she lost her debut fight against Meng Bo by unanimous decision, she bounced back with an eleven-fight winning streak culminating in winning the Kunlun Fight Female Strawweight Championship on May 25, 2017, at Kunlun Fight MMA 11, securing victory via second-round TKO.

She successfully defended this title against Aline Sattelmayer on June 1, 2017, at Kunlun Fight MMA 12 by unanimous decision. On July 22, 2017, Zhang claimed another championship by defeating Seo Ye-dam for the vacant Top FC Strawweight title at TOP FC 15 with a second-round TKO.

Her second defense of the KLF title occurred on August 28, 2017, at Kunlun Fight MMA 14, where she defeated Marilia Santos via second-round TKO. Before signing with the UFC, Zhang amassed a record of 16 wins and one loss while maintaining a sixteen-fight winning streak.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Zhang made her UFC debut on August 4, 2018, at UFC 227, where she secured a unanimous decision victory over Danielle Taylor. Later that year, on November 24, she submitted Jessica Aguilar with an armbar in the first round at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2.

On March 3, 2019, Zhang competed against Tecia Torres at UFC 235, earning another unanimous decision win and extending her winning streak to 19 consecutive bouts.

UFC Strawweight Champion

On August 31, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 157, Zhang challenged Jéssica Andrade for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. She captured the title by delivering a first-round technical knockout, making history as the inaugural UFC champion from China and securing her first Performance of the Night accolade.

Zhang’s initial defense of her championship took place on March 7, 2020, against former strawweight titleholder Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 248. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she adapted by relocating her training camps from China to Thailand and subsequently Dubai, overcoming visa obstacles to compete in the United States. Zhang emerged victorious via split decision in a contest celebrated as one of women’s MMA's finest, marking her first successful title defense and earning a Fight of the Night honor.

Her second defense was against ex-champion Rose Namajunas on April 24, 2021, during UFC 261. Zhang suffered a knockout early in the opening round after being struck by a head kick.

Post-title reign and second championship opportunity

A rematch for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship between Zhang and Namajunas occurred on November 6, 2021, at UFC 268. The closely contested fight concluded with Zhang losing by split decision; media scores favored Namajunas in 14 out of 22 assessments.

Zhang then faced Joanna Jędrzejczyk again on June 11, 2022, at UFC 275. Preparing at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA gym in Thailand under coach Josh Hinger, Zhang achieved a knockout victory via spinning backfist in the second round. This performance earned her another Performance of the Night bonus as well as third place in the Crypto.com Fan Bonus of the Night, rewarded in bitcoin.

On November 12, 2022, at UFC 281, Zhang reclaimed the strawweight title by submitting reigning champion Carla Esparza with a rear-naked choke in the second round. This triumph brought her an additional Performance of the Night award and advancement to brown belt status in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Zhang defended her championship against Amanda Lemos on August 19, 2023, at UFC 292, winning via unanimous decision after landing an unprecedented strike differential of 296–29—the largest margin recorded in women’s UFC history. This commanding display earned her a fourth Performance of the Night bonus.

At UFC 300 on April 13, 2024, Zhang faced off against Yan Xiaonan, securing victory through unanimous decision.

Her third successful title defense came against strawweight tournament victor Tatiana Suarez on February 9, 2025, at UFC 312, where she again prevailed by unanimous decision.

Other ventures

In May 2020, Zhang was appointed as a brand ambassador for the cosmetics company Estée Lauder in China, promoting their new Double Wear makeup collection. That same year, she featured in an advertisement for Audi. In 2021, she took on the role of global ambassador for Hyperice, a company specializing in recovery technology. Her endorsements also extend to apparel brands such as Under Armour and Heilan Home, the e-commerce giant JingDong, and the alcoholic beverage producer Wusu Beer.

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Current two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Championship titleholder
  - Successfully defended the championship four times in total (once during her first reign, three times during her second)
  - Shares the record with Joanna Jędrzejczyk for most victories in UFC Women's Strawweight title fights (6)
  - Holds the second-highest number of UFC Women's Strawweight title matches (8), trailing only Joanna Jędrzejczyk
  - The first athlete from China to become a UFC champion
- Awarded Fight of the Night once against Joanna Jędrzejczyk (first encounter)
- Earned Performance of the Night honors four times versus Jéssica Andrade, Joanna Jędrzejczyk (second bout), Carla Esparza, and Amanda Lemos
- Tied with Angela Hill for fourth place in UFC Women's Strawweight division for most post-fight bonuses (5)
- Ranks second for total wins in UFC Women's Strawweight history (10)
- Holds multiple records in UFC Women's Strawweight fights including striking differential, ground strikes landed, total strikes, and control time, notably demonstrated in her match against Amanda Lemos
- Recipient of numerous UFC Honors awards such as the 2020 President's Choice Fight of the Year (vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk), 2022 Performance of the Year, along with several top rankings on UFC.com from 2018 through 2024

Kunlun Fight
- Female Strawweight Champion with two successful defenses
Top Fighting Championship
- One-time Strawweight Champion

Acknowledged by leading MMA media platforms with various accolades:
- MMAJunkie: Fight of the Year (2020), Female Fighter of the Year & Comeback Fighter of the Year (2022)
- World MMA Awards: Fight of the Year (2019), Female Fighter of the Year (2024)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter: MMA Match of the Year (2020), Women’s MMA MVP (2022, 2024)
- Multiple Fight of the Year and Female Fighter of the Year honors from outlets including MMA Fighting, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, Cageside Press, Sherdog, BT Sport, MMA Weekly, Combat Press, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, and Bloody Elbow—primarily for bouts against Joanna Jędrzejczyk and other elite opponents

Mixed martial arts record

|- |Win |align=center|26–3 |Tatiana Suarez |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 312 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Sydney, Australia | |- |Win |align=center|25–3 |Yan Xiaonan |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 300 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|24–3 |Amanda Lemos |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 292 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |- |Win |align=center|23–3 |Carla Esparza |Submission (rear-naked choke) |UFC 281 | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:05 |New York City, New York, United States | |- |Win |align=center|22–3 ||Joanna Jędrzejczyk ||KO (spinning backfist) ||UFC 275 || ||align=center|2 ||align=center|'2:28' ||Kallang, Singapore || |- |- |Loss |align=center|'21–3' |Rose Namajunas |Decision (split) |UFC 268 | |align=center|'5' |align=center|'5:00' |New York City, New York, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|'21–2' |Rose Namajunas |KO (head kick) |UFC 261 | |align=center|'1' |align=center|'1:18' |Jacksonville, Florida, United States || |- |Win |align=center|'21–1' |Joanna Jędrzejczyk |Decision (split) |UFC 248 | |align=center|'5' |align=center|'5:00' |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|'20–1' |Jéssica Andrade |TKO (knees and punches) |UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang | |align=center|'1' |align=center|'0:42' |Shenzhen, China | |- | Win | align=center|'19–1' | Tecia Torres | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 235 | | align=center|'3' | align=center|'5:00' | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | align=center|'18–1' | Jessica Aguilar | Submission (armbar) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 | | align=center|'1' | align=center|'3:41' | Beijing, China | |- | Win | align=center|'17–1' | Danielle Taylor | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 227 | | align=center|'3' | align=center|'5:00' | Los Angeles, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center='16–1' ||Bianca Sattelmayer || Submission (armbar) || \Kunlun Fight MMA 15 || || align=center\|\1 || align=center\|\3:29 || Seoul, South Korea || |- |- Win Marilia Santos TKO (elbows) Kunlun Fight MMA14 August28,2017 Yantai, China |- Win Seo Ye-dam TKO (elbow and punches) Top FC15 July22,2017 Seoul, South Korea |- Win Aline Sattelmayer Decision (unanimous) Kunlun Fight MMA12 June01,2017 Yantai, China |- Win Simone Duarte TKO (punches) Kunlun Fight MMA11 May25,2017 Jining, China |- Win Nayara Hemily Submission (guillotine choke) Kunlun Fight MMA9 February25,2017 Sanya, China |- Win Veronica Grenno TKO (knees to the body) Kunlun Fight MMA8 January02,2017 Sanya, China |- Win Karla Benitez KO (punch) Kunlun Fight MMA7 December15,2016 Beijing, China |- Win Maíra Mazar Submission (rear-naked choke) Kunlun Fight53 September24,2016 Beijing, China |- Win Emi Fujino TKO (doctor stoppage) Kunlun Fight49 August07,2016 Tokyo, Japan |- Win Liliya Kazak KO (head kick) Kunlun Fight47 July10,2016 Nanjing, China |- Win Alice Ardelean Submission (rear-naked choke) Kunlun Fight MMA5 May22,2016 Seoul, South Korea |- Win Svetlana Gotsyk TKO (punches) Kunlun Fight38 February21,2016 Pattaya, Thailand |- Win Samantha Jean-Francois TKO (punches) Kunlun Fight35 December19,2015 Luoyang, China |- Win Mei Huang Submission (rear-naked choke) CKF10/27 October27,2014 Qian'an, China |- Win Shuxia Wu Submission (armbar) CKF10/14 October14,2014 Qian'an, China |- Loss Meng Bo Decision (unanimous) China MMA League November09,2013 Xuchang, China |-

Kickboxing Record

|- style="background:#fbb;" | 2017-12-17 || Defeat || style="text-align:left;"| Guan Acui || Kunlun Fight 68 || Zunyi, China || Decision || 3 || 3:00 |- ! colspan="8" style="background:white" | |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2017-12-17 || Victory || style="text-align:left;"| Chang Ningning || Kunlun Fight 68 || Zunyi, China || Decision || 3 || 3:00 |- ! colspan="8" style="background:white" | |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2017-12-17 || Win || style="text-align:left;"| Alma Juniku || Kunlun Fight 68 || Zunyi, China || Decision || 3 || 3:00 |- ! colspan="8" style="background:white" | |- style="background:#fbb;" | 2013-12-14 || Loss || align=left | Sasaki || || Tokyo, Japan || Unanimous Decision || 3 || 3:00 |- | colspan=9 | Legend:

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