“Unreal welcome for our first Curry Brand Tour. Let’s go!” With a sea of fans welcoming Stephen Curry upon his arrival in China, he had the perfect start to his new initiative. As the Warriors star aims to go international with his exclusive Under Armour brand, it is evident that he will need some new ties to successfully set up shop in the foreign land. Sure enough, Steph has already taken the first step in the right direction with an unexpected collaboration with a well-renowned face in China, UFC sensation Zhang Weili! Yes, the same fighter who also had a viral moment with Shaquille O’Neal last year.

Despite coming from two different worlds, Steph and Weili share a common thread because of Under Armour, as the UFC fighter, is the brand’s ambassador in China. As a result, the two stars were photographed together during Chef Curry’s ongoing tour and even exchanged memorabilia to commemorate their meeting.

While Steph has been under the brand’s umbrella since 2013, Weili became Under Armour’s ambassador 4 years ago after she became the first fighter from China to become a UFC Champion. Since defeating Jessica Andrade in 2019, she has been a two-time UFC Strawweight Champion and currently holds that title with pride. And with a massive fanbase in her home country and over 824K followers on Instagram, her recent linkup with Steph will surely help the Curry brand establish its roots internationally.

However, this is surely not the first time Weili has linked up with an NBA superstar.

When Zhang Weili punched Shaquille O’Neal and lifted him in the air!

Although Weili spends most of her time training MMA, she does have a special connection with basketball. Coming from a country where the sport is widely popular, the UFC champ can frequently be seen entering the hoop world. Just recently, she was spotted at the Paris Olympics supporting the Chinese 3X3 basketball team. Moreover, Zhang knows her hoops as she even praised Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and said, “I would love to have him in my corner” as a coach during one of her fights.

But her most viral moment with an NBA superstar came last year when she linked up with Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. While Shaq was busy working out in the gym, the fighter had a wholesome interaction with the big man!

Things got more interesting as Big Diesel asked the Strawweight champion to punch him in the stomach. Even though Weili went easy on him, Shaq looked a bit shaken up by the hit. Then, she displayed an even more impressive feat of strength as she lifted the seven-footer off the ground with ease, shattering the massive height and weight difference between them.

With her dominance inside the cage and wholesome personality outside, it’s amazing to see Weili constantly linking up with NBA stars just like her recent collaboration with Steph Curry. Do you agree?