Traditional Chinese medicine doctor Shi Ming can no longer keep her secret from her parents, after her stunning knockout win in the UFC final.
MACAO, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Mixed Martial Arts can be a brutal sport. It's a sport that allows and encourages competitors to inflict maximum damage on their opponents through pummeling fists, cutting elbows, suffocating grappling and bludgeoning kicks.
It's a dangerous endeavor.
Few understand this more deeply than China's latest UFC prospect, Shi Ming.
The 30-year-old strawweight is not only a fighter, but also a full-time doctor outside of the cage.
Nicknamed 'The Doctor,' Shi embodies a unique duality, balancing the Hippocratic Oath of her medical career with the controlled violence of her burgeoning profession in MMA.
This duality was on full display during the third round of the Road to the UFC final in Macao, China, last Saturday.
Down two rounds to her opponent and compatriot Feng Xiaocan, Shi delivered one of those bludgeoning head kicks that immediately incapacitated Feng.
It was a roundhouse kick straight out of a textbook. Just not a textbook likely to be found at Shi's medical school.
Shi, a natural atomweight, had been struggling to find her range against the taller Feng. However, with a dip of her hips and a rocket-like right high kick that connected cleanly with Feng's neck, she delivered a knockout blow with surgical precision.
The Galaxy Arena erupted immediately, as fans witnessed the kind of picture-perfect knockout they had paid to see.
The jubilation, however, quickly gave way to concern as the arena fell silent. The expressions of officials, medical personnel, and even Doctor Shi reflected the gravity of the situation as Feng lay motionless and unconscious. The medical team called for defibrillators, prompting fears of the worst - including from Shi herself. Cameras focused on Shi captured the worry etched on her face, a stark reminder of her role as a medical professional.
The tension began to subside when Feng was stretchered off, secured in a neck brace, and taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Later that evening, it was announced that Feng was on the path to a full recovery following the scare.
It was a moment that encapsulated Shi's duality: in one instant, celebrating her greatest MMA achievement to date, and in the next, the concern of a doctor emerged.
"I feel really happy - but I actually worry about my opponent. I really hope she is okay, she's young and - sorry," Shi told UFC commentator Michael Bisping in her post-fight interview.
"That's what happened at semifinals, I had a lot of opportunities to knock out my opponent but I think I have too much mercy and I'm not aggressive enough.
"This time and many times I've shown I have knock out power. I think I'm going to be a dangerous girl in the future. And good luck to my next opponent."
Another side to Shi's duality between fighter and doctor is the fact that she has also hidden her new career from her parents.
Despite China being the historic home of martial arts, MMA is a relatively new arrival in the country, with the sport only breaking through to the mainstream after Zhang Weili became China's first-ever UFC world champion in Shenzhen in 2019.
Up until now, Shi's parents had been under the impression that Shi was simply doing traditional Chinese martial arts in her spare time.
"I don't think I'm going to mention it to them," Shi revealed after the fight. "For my parents, they are traditional Chinese parents, and they worry about me. Only a doctor or a lawyer, I don't have other choices. So, I'm going to fight UFC, but maybe every time I will go back home after I recover."
Unfortunately for Shi, her secret is not likely to remain hidden from her parents for long.
Her Performance of the Night knockout and 50,000 U.S. dollar bonus has already gone viral both in China and around the world.
"What's next for Shi Ming? I'll tell you guys, she needs to come clean because her parents doesn't even know that she fights in the UFC. But either way, this girl has it going," former double champion and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo said after the fight on social media platform X.
"It might be time to tell your parents that you're a savage!" ■
