UFC Beijing: Zhang Weili, the bully-bashing hole jumper, vows to put on a show for China
- The Hebei native used to ‘make the bullies run’ at school
- Zhang trained as a child by digging garden holes and jumping out of them
There’s a good reason Zhang Weili appears so calm in the face of the adversity that fronts any UFC fighter when they enter the Octagon and they stare down an opponent.
The strawweight prospect has a long history when it comes to meeting head on those who might wish to do her harm.
“During my school years if any bullies annoyed or harassed my friends they would come to me and I would make them run,” Zhang said. “I loved to do that, to protect my friends. I wasn’t afraid of the bullies, or of a fight.”
After a stand-out career fighting on China’s domestic MMA circuits, Zhang received the call from the UFC in May and made a winning debut with the organisation back in August, grinding out a decision over American Danielle “Dynamite” Taylor (9-4).
Looking on from the outside the cage, things seemed to go well for Zhang in that fight but it turns out it wasn’t quite well enough to please the 29-year-old, given the fact her head coach was unable to join her in LA.