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A Chinese MMA champion has gained viral fame because of her day job as a TCM practitioner. Photo: SCMP composite/DouyinContent provided by British Council
[1] A Chinese mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter has become an online sensation. Shi Ming, 30, recently won an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tournament, but she is also a full-time traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner. With a powerful head kick, Shi delivered a stunning knockout to her opponent Feng Xiaocan, 22, in the third round of the women’s strawweight finale. The fight was part of the Road to UFC tournament in Macau on November 23.
[2] Feng stood 15cm taller than Shi Ming and was expected to have the upper hand in the match. Shi’s remarkable knockout left Feng unconscious for several minutes before she was carried out on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital. Feng later assured her followers on social media that she was OK.
[3] Following her impressive win, Shi secured a contract with UFC and earned an additional US$50,000 (HK$380,000) “Performance of the Night” award. Since 2020, Shi has reportedly won 12 MMA championships across China, South Korea and Myanmar.
[4] In the post-fight interview, Shi mentioned that she would slowly start to focus on her fighting career now and return to practising TCM when she is much older. Currently, Shi works during the day as a full-time acupuncturist at the Kunming Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in southwestern China’s Yunnan province. At night, she is an MMA athlete.
[5] In the evenings, Shi trains at the Kunming Ong Bak Muay Thai Boxing and MMA Gym, learning from US catch wrestling coach Bagher Amanolahi. She has said her expert knowledge of acupuncture and massage has helped both her and her teammates receive proper treatment after being injured in fights. Shi has drawn comparisons to Wong Fei-hung, one of the most celebrated martial arts figures in Chinese history. He was also known for his skills in acupuncture.
[6] Shi was born in 1994 in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province. Her grandfather inspired her to pursue a career in TCM. He was also a TCM doctor and attended Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine. In an interview with UFC, Shi revealed that most of her colleagues did not know about her MMA career. Her colleagues later said they were aware but chose to respect Shi’s desire to avoid bringing attention to her fighting life. Shi began her martial arts training at 13 but did not tell her parents about her involvement in MMA fights.
Source: South China Morning Post, December 2
Questions
1. In paragraph 2, people thought that Feng would win the fight because of her …
A. nationality.
B. weight.
C. height.
D. skills.
2. According to paragraph 3, what did Shi get after winning the tournament?
3. What is Shi’s day job according to paragraph 4?
4. In paragraph 5, how are Shi and Wong Fei-hung similar?
5. Why didn’t Shi’s colleagues ask her about her MMA career?
6. Write a question using “where”, “when” or “how” based on the sentences provided below. (3 marks)
(i) Question:
Sentence: Feng Xiaocan was Shi Ming’s opponent.
(ii) Question:
Sentence: Shi won her other championships in China, South Korea and Myanmar.
(iii) Question:
Sentence: Shi started her martial arts training when she was 13 years old.
Answers
1. C
2. a contract with the UFC and a US$50,000 (HK$380,000) “Performance of the Night” award
3. She is an acupuncturist.
4. They are both skilled in martial arts and acupuncture. (accept all similar answers)
5. They respected Shi’s desire to avoid bringing attention to her fighting life.
6. (i) Who was Shi Ming’s opponent?; (ii) Where did Shi win her other championships?; (iii) When did Shi begin her martial arts training? (accept all similar answers)