Profile | Unstoppable: Asia’s first female UFC champion Zhang Weili’s story told in gripping new documentary
Chinese MMA fighter Zhang Weili has been credited with inspiring a generation of young women after claiming her country’s first UFC title, a story told in Xu Huijing’s moving new film
At this July’s programme, a world-premiere documentary dropped, playing to houses so packed there were people sitting shoulder to shoulder on aisle steps, and ended up walking away with the Chanel-sponsored First Frame prize for best feature film.
The 35-year-old mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter is stopped by about every second person she passes on the street or at functions, and instead of the usual, anodyne press-conference queries, when Zhang takes the mic after one screening, she is greeted by one young woman after another, praising her for being an inspiration, and at one point, a 20-ish-looking fan shares a poem that brings the fighter to tears.
“I never really thought about how people might react to the film,” says Zhang. “Maybe seeing my experiences, my hardships, will help people following their own path.”
