UFC Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili is expanding her career beyond the octagon, making moves into both television and film.
Recognized as a major figure and influential personality in her native China, Zhang`s remarkable life story is being adapted into a new drama series. This untitled project was recently greenlit by iQiYi, China`s largest streaming service, with the announcement made during the Beijing International Film Festival. Production is anticipated to commence in the near future.
The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to the drama series about her life, the 35-year-old fighter has also embarked on an acting career, landing a significant role in the upcoming film After Typhoon. The movie is directed by the award-winning filmmaker Li Yu.
This art-house drama features Zhang portraying the character Ah Xi. She is described as “a woman with a tragic past whose life is turned upside down after she meets a young stranger on a storm-threatened island.”
Zhang maintains a busy schedule with her fight career, yet she revealed that she had not seriously considered acting until she met director Li and received the script for the film, which prompted her to think about taking on the role.
“Not at all. Never [considered acting],” Zhang told The Hollywood Reporter. “It happened all of a sudden, and because it happened all of a sudden, I was initially against it. Especially because this isn’t a fight film, it’s not action. It’s a very emotional film, and I wasn’t really sure to start with how that might affect me.”
“I am comfortable fighting – that is my world. But digging into drama, into emotions, is so very different from what I usually do. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of taking on this challenge.”
Notably, Zhang received the film script around the same time she was deep in preparation for her title defense against Yan Xiaonan at the landmark UFC 300 event. While it might seem counterintuitive for a major fight camp, Zhang found that having something to focus on outside of fighting actually helped her relax during that intense period.
“I think it was actually very helpful in terms of helping me to relax,” Zhang said. “Usually, before a fight, we’re always only talking about the tactical stuff, about the fight itself, but we could actually have a discussion about the script, and forget for a little while about everything else. It was a very interesting thing to do.”
Zhang successfully defeated Yan at UFC 300 and followed that up with another impressive victory against previously undefeated Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 in July.
As of now, Zhang’s next fight isn`t officially scheduled. However, speculation is widespread that she might consider a move up to the flyweight division to challenge the winner of the co-main event between Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot at the upcoming UFC 315.
Although fighting remains her top priority, Zhang admitted she enjoyed her experience making her feature film debut and stated that acting is now something she would certainly consider again in the future.
“My focus is back on training now, but who’s to say what will happen in the future?” Zhang said. “I think if a good role came along, whether it’s action or drama, I think now I’d take it.”
