“Be like water” Bruce Lee once famously said. And UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili took that very very seriously. ‘Magnum’ is a huge Bruce Lee fan, which is clear just watching her fight.

While her sharp, aggressive striking skills, combined with a competent ground game would be enough to give anyone problems on its own, what makes her really dangerous is her mental toughness. Always up for a challenge, ‘Magnum’ is just one of those fighters (like, say, Islam Makhachev) who just get better everytime you see them fight. In this article, we take a look at the highlight reel of ‘Magnum’s UFC career so far.

Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos

To say Zhag Weili dominated Amanda Lemos would be like saying the sun is a bit hot. No, what ‘Magnum’ did to the Brazilian was just straight up bullying. ‘Magnum’ set the record for the biggest striking differential in UFC history at their UFC 292 clash as she landed over 280 strikes on Lemos against the latter’s 21. Weili took the fight to the ground early and subjected Lemos to some vicious ground and pound.

At one point it seemed like ‘Magnum’ would batter Lemos to a finish in the very first round. But the Brazilian held on bravely and made it to the bell. The battering continued over the next four rounds, but the Brazilian just managed to somehow keep her head above water. Lemos somehow managed to make it through a fifth round knockdown, but there was no surprise who the judges picked as the winner by unanimous decision.

Zhang Weili retires Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk‘s first fight at UFC 248 may be the most exciting fight in women’s strawweight history. A five round striking war that went the distance, Weili eked through a split decision victory. However, their rematch two years later was the Zhang Weili show.

The Chinese champ dominated the first round of their UFC 275 clash, landing a whopping 47 significant strikes to the Pole’s 22 in it. Jedrzejczyk, being the absolute warrior she is, put up a valiant, more aggressive effort in the second round, but fell to a vicious spinning backfist from Weili, which sent her crashing to the ground. Jedrzejczyk fell to 2-5 in her last seven coming into UFC 275 and announced her retirement right after the fight.

Weili finishes Jessica Andrade in 42 seconds

Zhang Weili’s 2019 Fight Night demolition of Jessica Andrade was a thing of beauty and was many fans’ first taste of just how good the Chinese dynamo was. Before facing Andrade in her first UFC title clash, ‘Magnum’ had fought thrice in the UFC, winning two decisions. But, her 42-second demolition of Andrade to win the title was the first knockout of her UFC stint, demonstrating how sharp and lethal her striking was.

Andrade started off strong, going right at Weili and even making her back up. But Weili, after momentary hesitation accepted the challenge and started brawling with Andrade in the pocket. Just as commentator Jon Anik began to say that standing and trading with the Brazilian was a bad idea for Zhang, ‘Magnum’ caught Andrade with a fantastic right hook, and followed it up with some vicious knees. Andrade held on for twenty or so more seconds, before stumbling across the cage and falling on the octagon.

Bonus – Weili breaks Tatiana Suarez’s undefeated streak

Despite being on a run of dominant victories, Zhang Weili was the betting underdog going into her UFC 312 title defense against then-undefeated Tatiana Suarez in February 2025. Many felt the American’s suffocating wrestling may be too overwhelming for ‘Magnum’, who does her best work on the feet. But that was not the case.

Far from it. Weili successfully defended fourteen of Suarez’s fifteen takedown attempts, and outstruck her 251-61 en route to a well-deserved unanimous decision victory. There are levels to this game, as they say. And Weili showed that Suarez was just not on her level. Which of Weili’s wins is your favorite?