Doctor-turned-fighter captures imagination of MMA fans

With her rise to stardom from an unlikely background intriguing fans around the world, doctor-turned-fighter Shi Ming has helped mixed martial arts tap into a larger fan base, particularly women in China.

The 30-year-old traditional Chinese medicine practitioner's ascent into the brutal world of professional MMA seems at odds with her day job as an acupuncturist at a Kunming hospital in Yunnan province, relaxing patients' muscles and easing their pain. She had even kept her martial arts ambitions a secret from her parents for years.

But, at the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Fight Night in Macao on Nov 23, the soft-spoken Heilongjiang province native revealed her fierce alter ego in a sensational knockout win to earn a contract with the Las Vegas-based MMA organization.

Shi did it in ferocious style in the third round, with a vicious head kick to her opponent Feng Xiaocan.

Her victory in the "Road to UFC "final, makes her the 16th Chinese fighter to sign with the UFC, a major MMA promoter.

The UFC has developed a group of Asian female stars, led by reigning strawweight world champion Zhang Weili, since it made its China debut in 2012 in the Macao Special Administrative Region.

The RTU tournament was launched in 2022 as a qualifying event for enthusiasts in Asia to compete for UFC contracts in four weight classes.

Among those shocked by Shi's KO win in Macao were her parents. They had no idea what their daughter did in the gym after her six-hour shift at the hospital, let alone that she was fighting in an MMA qualification tournament that night. They only found out about her secret life when they heard news of her victory.

Shi is coming to terms with her newfound fame.

"People are now starting to recognize me on the streets. A lot of changes have been happening in my life, and I still need time to get used to the exposure," Shi said after completing the "glove-signing" ritual on Dec 9 to mark her arrival in the UFC.

"I will continue with my clinical medical work, at least for now. But, I will try to spend more time in training, and focus more on my fighting career.

"My goal is to fight for the world championship belt in the UFC while I am still young," said Shi, who competes in the same 52-kilogram division as her idol Zhang.