How the rise of Zhang Weili is helping the UFC reach China’s online masses
- Strawweight champ can’t even go for a run without being recognised in China now, nor to the airport – even when she was wearing a hazmat suit
- UFC tops 5.6 million followers on Douyin, with launch of flagship Tmall e-commerce store following opening of Performance Institute in Shanghai
A successful return on the UFC’s investment in China was always going to the hinge on whether the organisation could find a local fighter who could mix it with the best the world has to offer. Or – hopefully – a few fighters who could do the same.
Even then, there has been a sense that the rise of strawweight champion Zhang “Magnum” Weili (21-1) – and of her popularity – has taken everyone by surprise. Including the lady herself.
“When I came back to China last month, I was recognised by fans in the airport, which was amazing because I was wrapped in a protective suit,” says Zhang. “Now even when I am running outside, I have been recognised as well. I feel very good about this. I am glad to see more and more people get to know me and this MMA sport. I want to see a good development of MMA in China.”
In the lead-up to the 30-year-old Zhang’s successful and quite astonishing title defence against Poland’s former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-4) on March 7, the Chinese fighter was the most talked about subject on China’s Douyin (aka TikTok in the West). No mean feat when you consider the platform is home to an online community that numbers around 400 million.
Since winning the title – against Brazil’s Jessica Andrade in Shenzhen last August – Zhang’s online community has expanded to take in more than 1.2 million followers at home (on Weibo) and an impressive 500,000 abroad (via Instagram) as the fighter taps into her growing international fame.