Chinese medicine doctor-MMA star Shi Ming vows to keep healing, fighting after UFC debut
The 30-year-old says she will not ‘put all my eggs in one basket’ but might reconsider if she manages to climb up the UFC rankings
Shi Ming, who heals patients as a traditional Chinese medicine doctor by day but trains to deliver brutal knockouts in mixed martial arts by night, said she felt she had “let the whole of China down” after losing her debut Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout on Friday.
Shi shot to fame in November when she won the Road to UFC strawweight tournament in Macau – thereby winning a contract with UFC – with a devastating kick that saw Chinese compatriot Feng Xiaocan carried out of the octagon on a stretcher.
But in Shanghai last week, at UFC Fight Night, she found Bruna Brasil a much tougher proposition – losing by unanimous decision over three rounds to the Brazilian veteran.
Thousands of Chinese fans packed the Shanghai Indoor Stadium to rally behind her, cheering loudly every time she landed a strike.
Though Shi ultimately lost, she still received a huge ovation, with fans screaming “Go Dr Shi!” as she bowed gratefully.
Fans on social media were similarly supportive.