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Zhang Weili
张伟丽.png
Zhang in 2022
Born (1990-08-13) August 13, 1990 (age 34)
Handan, Hebei, China
Native name 张伟丽
Other names Weili Zhang
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight 115 lb (52 kg; 8.2 st)
Division Strawweight (2013–present)
Flyweight (2016)
Reach 63 in (160 cm)
Fighting out of Beijing, China
Team Black Tiger Fight Club
Fight Ready
Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA
Trainer
  • Xuejun Cai (MMA)
  • Pedro Jordão & Josh Hinger (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)
  • Chong Xie (Hyperarch Fascia Training)
Rank Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Pedro Jordão
Years active 2013–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 29
Wins 26
By knockout 11
By submission 8
By decision 7
Losses 3
By knockout 1
By decision 2

Zhang Weili (Chinese: 张伟丽; pinyin: Zhāng Wěilì), born on August 13, 1990, is a professional mixed martial artist from China. She is a top fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and has been the UFC Women's Strawweight Champion two times. Zhang Weili was the first Chinese fighter to ever win a UFC championship. Before joining the UFC, she was also a champion in another fighting league called Kunlun Fight (KLF).

About Zhang Weili

Early Life and Training

Zhang Weili grew up in Handan, Hebei, China. Her father was a miner, and her mother was a homemaker. She has an older brother who now works at her gym to support her career.

Zhang started learning martial arts when she was very young, at just six years old. She was inspired by Kung Fu films and began training in Shaolin Kung Fu. In primary school, she played many sports like athletics, football, and table tennis. When she was 12, her parents sent her to a special martial arts school. There, she trained in Sanda and Shuai Jiao. She won Sanda championships in her home province many times. However, a back injury made her stop the sport early.

Starting Her Fighting Career

At 17, Zhang moved to Beijing and worked different jobs, including a cashier, kindergarten teacher, and security guard. In 2010, she found a job as a fitness instructor at a gym. This allowed her to use the gym's equipment for free after hours. She also started learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu there. Later, she met famous Chinese MMA fighter Wu Haotian, who became her idol. In 2012, he introduced her to Black Tiger Fight Club, where coach Cai Xuejun saw her talent and began training her in MMA.

Zhang shared in 2019 that Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen and his 2007 movie Flashpoint inspired her to get into MMA. She also said that watching Ronda Rousey's fight in 2013 motivated her to become a full-time MMA fighter.

Becoming a Professional Fighter

Zhang Weili began her professional MMA career in 2013. She lost her first fight, but then she won 11 fights in a row! On May 25, 2017, she won the Kunlun Fight Female Strawweight Championship. She defended this title two times. She also won the Top FC Strawweight Championship on July 22, 2017. By the time she joined the UFC, she had an amazing record of 16 wins and only 1 loss.

Joining the UFC

Zhang made her UFC debut on August 4, 2018, winning against Danielle Taylor. She continued her winning streak in the UFC, defeating Jessica Aguilar and Tecia Torres.

Becoming a UFC Champion

On August 31, 2019, Zhang Weili fought Jéssica Andrade for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. She won the fight very quickly in the first round, becoming the new champion. This made her the first UFC champion from China! This win also earned her a "Performance of the Night" bonus.

Defending Her Title

For her first title defense, Zhang faced former champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk on March 7, 2020. This was a very tough fight, and many people called it one of the greatest women's MMA fights ever. Zhang won by a split decision, successfully defending her title. This fight also earned her a "Fight of the Night" award.

On April 24, 2021, Zhang defended her title against Rose Namajunas. She lost the fight by knockout in the first round. They had a rematch on November 6, 2021, but Zhang lost again by a split decision.

Winning the Title Again

Zhang Weili had a rematch with Joanna Jędrzejczyk on June 11, 2022. Zhang won this fight with a spinning backfist knockout in the second round. This impressive win earned her another "Performance of the Night" award.

On November 12, 2022, Zhang fought Carla Esparza for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship again. Zhang won the fight by submission in the second round, becoming the champion for the second time! After this win, she was promoted to a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Zhang defended her title against Amanda Lemos on August 19, 2023. She won by a unanimous decision after a very strong performance. She landed many more strikes than her opponent, setting a new record for women's UFC fights. This win also earned her a "Performance of the Night" bonus.

On April 13, 2024, Zhang defended her title against Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300, winning by unanimous decision. Her most recent title defense was on February 9, 2025, at UFC 312, where she defeated Tatiana Suarez by unanimous decision.

Beyond Fighting

Outside of fighting, Zhang Weili has worked with several big brands. In May 2020, she became a brand ambassador for Estée Lauder cosmetics in China. She also appeared in a commercial for Audi. In 2021, she became a global ambassador for Hyperice, a recovery technology company. She has also had deals with clothing brands like Under Armour and Heilan Home, and companies like JingDong and Wusu Beer.

Amazing Achievements

Zhang Weili has achieved many great things in her career:

  • Ultimate Fighting Championship
    • UFC Women's Strawweight Champion (Two times, Current)
      • She has successfully defended her title four times in total.
      • She is tied for the most title fight wins in UFC Women's Strawweight history (6 wins).
      • She was the first Chinese champion in UFC history.
    • She won "Fight of the Night" once (vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk 1).
    • She won "Performance of the Night" four times (vs. Jéssica Andrade, Joanna Jędrzejczyk 2, Carla Esparza & Amanda Lemos).
    • She is tied for the second most wins in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (10 wins).
    • She holds the record for the largest difference in strikes landed in a women's UFC fight (vs. Amanda Lemos).
  • Kunlun Fight
  • Top Fighting Championship
    • Top FC Strawweight Champion (One time)

She has also won many awards from different sports news outlets, including:

  • "Fight of the Year" for her fight against Joanna Jędrzejczyk in 2020 from many sources like MMAJunkie.com, MMA Fighting, ESPN, and Yahoo! Sports.
  • "Female Fighter of the Year" in 2022 from MMAJunkie.com, Cageside Press, BT Sport, ESPN, and Yahoo! Sports.
  • "Women's MMA MVP" in 2022 and 2024 from Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
29 matches 26 wins 3 losses
By knockout 11 1
By submission 8 0
By decision 7 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 26–3 Tatiana Suarez Decision (unanimous) UFC 312 February 9, 2025 5 5:00 Sydney, Australia Defended the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship.
Win 25–3 Yan Xiaonan Decision (unanimous) UFC 300 April 13, 2024 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Defended the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship.
Win 24–3 Amanda Lemos Decision (unanimous) UFC 292 August 19, 2023 5 5:00 Boston, Massachusetts, United States Defended the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
Win 23–3 Carla Esparza Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 281 November 12, 2022 2 1:05 New York City, New York, United States Won the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
Win 22–3 Joanna Jędrzejczyk KO (spinning backfist) UFC 275 June 12, 2022 2 2:28 Kallang, Singapore Performance of the Night.
Loss 21–3 Rose Namajunas Decision (split) UFC 268 November 6, 2021 5 5:00 New York City, New York, United States For the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship.
Loss 21–2 Rose Namajunas KO (head kick) UFC 261 April 24, 2021 1 1:18 Jacksonville, Florida, United States Lost the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship.
Win 21–1 Joanna Jędrzejczyk Decision (split) UFC 248 March 7, 2020 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Defended the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. Fight of the Night.
Win 20–1 Jéssica Andrade TKO (knees and punches) UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang August 31, 2019 1 0:42 Shenzhen, China Won the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
Win 19–1 Tecia Torres Decision (unanimous) UFC 235 March 2, 2019 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 18–1 Jessica Aguilar Submission (armbar) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 November 24, 2018 1 3:41 Beijing, China
Win 17–1 Danielle Taylor Decision (unanimous) UFC 227 August 4, 2018 3 5:00 Los Angeles, California, United States
Win 16–1 Bianca Sattelmayer Submission (armbar) Kunlun Fight MMA 15 October 3, 2017 1 3:29 Seoul, South Korea Catchweight (119 lb) bout.
Win 15–1 Marilia Santos TKO (elbows) Kunlun Fight MMA 14 August 28, 2017 2 3:20 Yantai, China Defended the Kunlun Fight Strawweight Championship.
Win 14–1 Seo Ye-dam TKO (elbow and punches) Top FC 15 July 22, 2017 2 1:35 Seoul, South Korea Won the vacant Top FC Strawweight Championship.
Win 13–1 Aline Sattelmayer Decision (unanimous) Kunlun Fight MMA 12 June 1, 2017 3 5:00 Yantai, China Defended the Kunlun Fight Strawweight Championship.
Win 12–1 Simone Duarte TKO (punches) Kunlun Fight MMA 11 May 25, 2017 1 2:29 Jining, China Won the Kunlun Fight Strawweight Championship.
Win 11–1 Nayara Hemily Submission (guillotine choke) Kunlun Fight MMA 9 February 25, 2017 1 0:41 Sanya, China
Win 10–1 Veronica Grenno TKO (knees to the body) Kunlun Fight MMA 8 January 2, 2017 1 1:50 Sanya, China
Win 9–1 Karla Benitez KO (punch) Kunlun Fight MMA 7 December 15, 2016 1 2:15 Beijing, China Defended the Kunlun Fight Strawweight Championship.
Win 8–1 Maíra Mazar Submission (rear-naked choke) Kunlun Fight 53 September 24, 2016 1 4:11 Beijing, China Won the vacant Kunlun Fight Strawweight Championship.
Win 7–1 Emi Fujino TKO (doctor stoppage) Kunlun Fight 49 August 7, 2016 2 2:51 Tokyo, Japan Return to Strawweight.
Win 6–1 Liliya Kazak KO (head kick) Kunlun Fight 47 July 10, 2016 2 4:13 Nanjing, China
Win 5–1 Alice Ardelean Submission (rear-naked choke) Kunlun Fight MMA 5 May 22, 2016 2 4:41 Seoul, South Korea Flyweight debut.
Win 4–1 Svetlana Gotsyk TKO (punches) Kunlun Fight 38 February 21, 2016 2 2:29 Pattaya, Thailand
Win 3–1 Samantha Jean-Francois TKO (punches) Kunlun Fight 35 December 19, 2015 1 3:37 Luoyang, China
Win 2–1 Mei Huang Submission (rear-naked choke) CKF 10/27 October 27, 2014 1 0:40 Qian'an, China Catchweight (132 lb) bout.
Win 1–1 Shuxia Wu Submission (armbar) CKF 10/14 October 14, 2014 1 1:56 Qian'an, China Catchweight (132 lb) bout.
Loss 0–1 Meng Bo Decision (unanimous) China MMA League November 9, 2013 2 5:00 Xuchang, China Strawweight debut.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Weili Zhang para niños

  • List of current UFC fighters
  • List of female mixed martial artists
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