Coming from humble beginnings with early training in martial arts, Zhang Weili has dominated the Octagon against a majority of opponents. The acrobatic skills and the strength in her strikes have indeed pushed her to a high pedestal. But as her journey in the MMA realm continued, the fighting community began wondering about her origins. 

And one of the topics that still boggled many fans’ minds was Weili’s religious beliefs. So today, let’s take a detailed look at the personal life of the Chinese champion and see where her religious beliefs lie. 

Zhang Weili’s religion and beliefs

Well, Weili has never really talked about her religious beliefs in public. But what we do know is that the Chinese UFC champion was born in Handan, Hebei, China. The land is home to a community of Manchus, Mongols, Huis, and Hans. We can expect that she comes from one of these communities, which means she would most likely have her religious beliefs inclined towards the teachings of Buddha. 

Needless to say, the UFC women’s strawweight champion fights to represent her people and proudly shoulders the Chinese national flag at every chance that she can get. Defeating Carla Esparza to claim the throne and then defending it against Amanda Lemos and then Xiaonan Yan, propelled ‘Magnum’ to a path for greatness. After all, that was what she wanted from the MMA realm. 

During a conversation with the UFC, Weili said, “What motivates me is, I fight for legacy. I want to be a legend. So, all the difficulties and experiences, good or bad, I see it as a part of my path toward being a legend. So now I feel my mindset looks inward, not outward. I don’t focus on what’s around me, I’m more focused on myself and how I can achieve my goal.”

But did Zhang Weili always wish to become the greatest strawweight in the UFC? Well, she certainly put her name in the book of martial arts history with the kind of performance she displayed in the Octagon. But that’s no surprise given she was pretty inclined towards martial arts from the very beginning.

More about Zhang Weili’s background 

During an interview with Fighters Only magazine, Weili said, “I loved Sanda which is a Chinese form of kickboxing that combines traditional kickboxing techniques with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps, kick catches, and in some competitions, even elbow and knee strikes.” It was indeed her parents and her hometown, Handan, that pushed her to practice martial arts. Handan is pretty famous for Taichi, but it was Sanda that caught Weili’s eye. 

However, there was a hurdle waiting for the Chinese fighter when she stepped into the realm of mixed martial arts. MMA gave her pretty gruesome injuries and this made her parents want her to quit fighting for a living. But her persistence and love for the sport took her to great heights. She even became the first-ever fighter from China to win a UFC title.

Now, ‘Magnum’ gets ready to lock horns with Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312. With a professional MMA record of 25 wins and 3 defeats, the women’s strawweight champion would try her best to defend her championship title for the 3rd consecutive time. But we got to wait for Saturday night with a bunch of popcorn and drinks to witness the outcome of the bout. 

While Weili has never talked about her religious beliefs, which religion do you think she follows? Do you think her faith can get her a win against Suarez at UFC 312? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.