MMA star Zhang Weili confident of UFC’s future in China as first post-Covid event announced
First Chinese fighter to win a UFC title is ‘really looking forward’ to Shanghai Fight Night, one of two back-to-back events in August
Chinese mixed martial arts superstar Zhang Weili said on Thursday she was confident of the sport’s future in China after Ultimate Fighting Championship announced its first event on the mainland since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Zhang, the first Chinese fighter to win a UFC title and the current strawweight champion, is the face of MMA on the mainland, where millions of dollars have been poured into the sport’s top promotion.
The UFC said on Thursday that back-to-back events would be taking place over one weekend, with Shanghai Fight Night taking place on August 23 and the semi-final of the Road to UFC Season 4 the day before.
“So many Chinese athletes are joining the UFC now … I’m confident the sport will continue to grow here,” Zhang said, adding she was “really looking forward” to the fight night in Shanghai.
UFC held a Fight Night in semi-autonomous Macau in November but otherwise its last event in China was in Shenzhen in 2019, when Zhang took the title for the first time with an upset knockout of champion Jessica Andrade in just 42 seconds.
“Competing on home soil feels completely different,” Zhang said.