UFC champion Zhang Weili homesick in Las Vegas – ‘No way back’ to China right now

‘Sports have no national boundaries, but athletes have countries,’ 30-year-old star says in Las Vegas lockdown

Tearful UFC champion only training two hours a day as she tells fans ‘no way back’ with flight prices and infection risk

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UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang of China before her title defence against Joanna Jedrzejczyk of Poland at UFC 248. Photo: AP

Published: 11:15am, 27 Mar 2020Updated: 11:15am, 27 Mar 2020

A tearful Zhang Weili broke down in a telephone interview with a Beijing News reporter as she spoke of her homesickness while trapped in Las Vegas amid the coronavirus pandemic.

She is in isolation with her team in a rented house and cried on the phone describing the situation, which has seen her only able to train for two hours a day in the living room.

Zhang also told the China News Service of her despair at being away from China. “Sports have no national boundaries, but athletes have countries,” she said. “I want to be a good role model, no matter where I am.”

In a live broadcast to her fans, Zhang spoke of being wracked with indecision over trying to return.

Zhang punches former champion Jedrzejczyk. Photo: AP

“Now air tickets are very difficult to buy and there are a lot of people returning home. There are confirmed cases every day. I am also very entangled now, I don’t know what to do,” she said.

On the same broadcast she mentioned feeling homesick, as she had done with The Beijing News.