From kindergarten teacher to world champion! Zhang Weili did it, she left the gold belt in China

Zhang Weili becomes the new UFC world champion. Pictures of this article The history of Visual China and IC

Chinese combat sports was rewritten on the 31st.

In the UFC night match held in Shenzhen Universiade Center, China's 30-year-old fighter Zhang Weili took 42 seconds to hit with a right fist and a top knee TKO to beat the current UFC women’s grassweight champion Jessica Andra Germany, become the new MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) world champion.

and opened Zhang Weili’s resume. This former Sanda player experienced a period of time away from the ring. During this period, she worked as a kindergarten teacher, hotel receptionist, cashier... What kind of power

pulled her back to the fighting arena, Until you reach the top? Previously, The Paper reporter interviewed Zhang Weili and listened to her about her fighting life.

Zhang Weili is in the game.

She is already a star in the world

"Everything that works is like a dream bubble, like a dew or electricity, should be viewed as such." This is a sentence written in Zhang Weili’s signature on WeChat’s WeChat account. Everything in the world is unpredictable, like morning dew and lightning, it will disappear very quickly, very short.

Zhang Weili's speed at the end of the game is also "like the dew and lightning." After witnessing this big victory, UFC President Bai Dana couldn't help feeling:

, "I didn't expect her to end in this way. She is already the world's strongest mixed martial arts player. Wei Li got it. After the championship, I kept receiving calls from American agencies asking when we can sign Zhang Weili. This shows her powerful influence."

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" Zhang Weili’s performance will not only be remembered by China, but in the United States. And Europe will be remembered. She is no longer a star in China, but a star in the world."

While witnessing Zhang Weili's current race against time to enjoy her ring life, you may be able to appreciate the meaning of it.

"In 2013, I was still at work (doing work that has nothing to do with fighters). All the expenses for this project must be paid by myself, and the first thing you need to solve is the survival problem..."

Zhang Weili has been quite difficult along the way He practiced martial arts in his early years, and later joined the Sanda team and won the Hebei Provincial Championship, but he had to retire due to injury.

When she was in her early 20s, she had done a lot of work for life-kindergarten teacher, hotel receptionist, cashier, gym coach and sales, etc. According to Zhang Weili, "this is a period of confusion."

but deep down in her heart She reminded herself from time to time, "You should not live like this, you should find a career you love."

Zhang Weili won the moment.

Race against time in the ring life

Zhang Weili, who works in the gym, only had a salary of 1,500 yuan a month, not including food. By coincidence, after work, she found that she could start fighting training again.

"Because there is a ring fighting area there, after doing a lot of work, I still feel like fighting, so I get up at 6 o'clock every day and take the subway for one and a half hours to train. After the training, I start working in the gym. My time is full, but I don’t feel tired at all, because I’m doing what I like and I’m closer to MMA.”

Zhang Weili, who was training while working, first MMA match in October 2013. She lost. In 2014, due to a serious waist injury during training, she rested for 9 full months, and did not re-enter training until June 2015. Fortunately, Zhang Weili was not discouraged. After that, she won the battle in Kunlun. champion.

When the time came to July 2017, Zhang Weili defeated South Korean star Xu Yitan to win the TFC championship... A series of dazzling records made the UFC, the top event in the MMA field, notice Zhang Weili. In May 2018, UFC signed a contract with Zhang Weili.

"Actually, I always thought that I was not far away from UFC." In the dialogue with Zhang Weili, you can hear full of confidence, and behind the confidence is her wholehearted devotion and dedication.

"I treat all the games as my first game. I will try my best to practice, hoping for good results. "

Zhang Weili is wearing a national flag.

goldThe belt stays in China, I love you

signed with UFC in May last year. In August the first game was judged to defeat American player Taylor in three rounds. In November, the first round crossed over Aguilar, and then won the ranking in March this year. The top ten Torres...Zhang Weili's rise in the UFC is faster than everyone imagined.

“Sometimes I feel that time flies very quickly, and I win if I am confused.” These victories seem to be an understatement in Zhang Weili’s mouth, but people in the industry know that Zhang Weili’s achievements are precious.

, especially in the third personal UFC game in Las Vegas, she became the first Chinese female player to enter the main PPV (pay TV) lineup. Usually only the top ten UFC players are eligible to participate in this level. In the event, before Zhang Weili, only Li Jingliang in China played the PPV main event.

Even so, Li Jingliang did not rank in the top fifteen before the game. To a certain extent, he played in the main game because of his popularity and the need to open up the market.

It is worth mentioning that the challenge Zhang Weili faces is that in addition to the powerful opponent in the octagonal cage, there are also many outside the stadium.

went to the United States for the first time in August last year. Both her and her coach’s tourist visas were rejected. By applying to the UFC, Zhang Weili was allowed to enter the country as an athlete. However, the coach team has not been approved for 4 consecutive visas. It can be said that Zhang Weili is alone. One person invades the United States.

"My coach is Thai, and the U.S. visa is very difficult to handle." Zhang Weili was also very distressed when she talked about this. In contrast, she was in a better state during domestic competitions, "because you don't need to consider a coach visa. There is no need to consider jet lag, diet and other issues. The food in the United States is relatively cold and I am not very used to it."

But this is not used to it, which gave birth to her fierceness-she said after getting the gold belt , "I was looking at this gold belt when I didn’t sign the UFC. I didn’t feel how powerful Andrade was. I felt relaxed like water on the court. The defending champions will not refuse, who will be arranged? Who to fight."

"If I play well in the game, more people will know me and Chinese fighting. This sport is not a one-person business. It needs teamwork, fans, and everyone's support. Only in this way, China MMA Only in order to develop, the future will become stronger and stronger, so that the world can truly know what Chinese power is."

"Now I have done it. The gold belt stays in China. Thank you everyone for your support. Love you."