National hero

Zhang became China's first world champion in a major promotion in August 2019 after wresting the strawweight belt from Brazil's Jessica Andrade in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

The unexpected win in just her fourth fight since signing up with UFC in 2018 awakened unprecedented awareness of MMA in a country with ancient martial arts rooted deeply in its culture. This full-contact sport, which was developed in the West, allows a wide variety of combat skills and styles in one bout.

Zhang maintained her winning run by beating Jedrzejczyk in March 2020 to successfully defend the title, but her training routine and plans to fight overseas were soon disrupted by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Without any solid preparation, Zhang experienced back-to-back losses at the hands of Rose "Thug" Namajunas of the US last year－first via a technical knockout, or TKO, in April and then by a split decision six months later, losing her belt in the process to her rival, who then surrendered it to Esparza after a split decision loss last month at UFC 274 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Known as the "Magnum" for her ferocious striking, Zhang said she takes more pride in representing Chinese women's resilience and strength in the tough world of MMA than in earning a second title shot.

"What makes me prouder today is that I put girls' power on full display, while proving to the doubters that we can do anything we want in whatever business we like," said Zhang, who cemented her status as a national hero after beating Jedrzejczyk in her first title defense more than two years ago.

Her victory gave China a much-needed morale boost at a time when the nation was severely affected by COVID-19.

Although cutting a modest figure away from the Octagon, or cage, for her millions of fans at home and abroad, Zhang has become a larger-than-life role model and symbol of women's rights.

Tan Jianxiang, a sports sociology researcher at South China Normal University, said, "Zhang, as the world's best female MMA athlete, at the very least is a hard-hitting example of modern and confident Chinese women, with her excellence in the brutally contested combat sport representing defiance of gender stereotypes not just for women in China but across Asia."

Zhang said of the inspiration she drew from US legend Ronda Rousey, who became the first female to sign a UFC contract in 2012: "I set my goals when I saw her fight for the first time. I wanted to show that girls can be soft and gentle, but we can also be as strong as steel and as hard as rocks."