On February 9, 2025, at 11 a.m. local time in Sydney, the sun shone through the roof of the gymnasium and reflected on the fence of the octagonal cage.
Zhang Weili stood in the center of the field, with the gold belt tied around her waist again, sweat running down her cheeks, her breathing still not steady, but her eyes were already firm.
People familiar with Zhang Weili know that she never deliberately emphasizes "No. 1" or "only one", but those record-breaking moments, those days and nights of blood and sweat, have already left a mark on her.
Before Zhang Weili entered the UFC, no one would have thought that a small girl from China could gain a foothold in this battlefield dominated by European and American players.
But she knew: I can.
In 2018, the 28-year-old Zhang Weili officially signed with the UFC.
In 2019, she entered the top ten in the world.
In August of the same year, she stood on the octagonal cage of the UFC Shenzhen Station to fight against Brazilian champion Andrade.
"Beauty is diverse. Who says girls can't be strong?"
She knows that fighting is not just about defeating opponents, but also a battle against prejudice. What she has to do is not to refute, but to use actions to let everyone see that a strong woman can also be beautiful and shining.
After the game, when the reporter asked her how she defined herself as the "new legend of UFC", she looked at the reflection in the glass curtain wall. The girl who had counted subway lines with a bag on her back ten years ago overlapped with the figure at this moment.
"The so-called legend is nothing more than writing every 'so far' as 'to be continued'."
