Despite being in the main event of the UFC’s return to China, Zhang Mingyang still has a long way to go before he is compared to some of the all-time great Chinese fighters.
UFC Shanghai features a massive main event for Zhang Mingyang’s homecoming, as he takes on Johnny Walker in a Light Heavyweight bout that is sure to thrill the Chinese fans.
A win would mark Mingyang’s fourth in a row since becoming the first Chinese fighter to earn a contract through the Road to UFC show, and help propel him up the Light Heavyweight rankings.
However, it is still too early to consider him an all-time great from China, as there have been numerous fighters who blazed the trail for him and made their names in the UFC and beyond.
Here are the five best Chinese MMA fighters of all time, including one woman who is still breaking records in the UFC.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC5. Xiong Jing Nan
While there may be other fighters considered the greatest Chinese stars in the UFC, Xiong Jing Nan is the undisputed queen of Asian MMA.
The Panda was the first-ever Chinese world champion in mixed martial arts, despite only starting her MMA journey when switching over from boxing at the age of 18.
Since then, she has dominated the ONE Championship at Strawweight, building a legacy that surpasses all of her colleagues.
Jing Nan is 19-2 in her career, and has held the Strawweight belt unbroken since 2018. Her seven-year reign is unmatched in the promotion, and eleven years into her career, she looks as good as she ever has.
4. Yan Xiaonan
As a top Women’s Strawweight and ranked on the pound-for-pound list, Yan Xiaonan seems to be on her way to world title glory in the UFC.
The Chinese fighter has been the perennial nearly-woman in her career, falling at the final hurdle before achieving greatness.
She challenged Zhang Weili in an all-Chinese title fight at UFC 300, pushing the legend all the way before losing a heartbreaking bout by unanimous decision after five rounds.
That fight was the first time two Chinese fighters had competed for a UFC title, as Xiaonan made history in defeat.
While consistency has been her issue so far, she has the ability to fix her mistakes and improve her #3 ranking in the Women’s Strawweight division to push on to title glory.
3. Yadong Song
At the age of just 27, Yadong Song has a huge future ahead of him and some impressive performances behind him.
The Kung Fu Kid came into the UFC on short notice, battling Baharat Kandare at the UFC’s last trip to Shanghai and choking him out with a brutal-looking guillotine.
His career has gone from strength to strength since then, losing just three times in eight years to climb the ranks of the Featherweight division.
His only losses have come to top fighters like Cory Sandhagen and Petr Yan, showing that Song still has some ways to go before he can reach those upper echelons.
However, the #5-ranked Bantamweight has all the tools to become a champion one day and cement himself as a Chinese fighting great.
2. Li Jingliang
Li Jingliang is a trailblazer, becoming one of the first Chinese fighters to achieve success in the UFC after being trained by former UFC Lightweight Zhang Tiequan.
He was a Welterweight champion in the Legends FC promotion in China before making the move to the United States to compete in the UFC.
Jingliang debuted at UFC 173, achieving an impressive split-decision victory over David Michaud, although mixed results at the start of his run would halt his momentum.
However, a series of victories and a host of bonuses for some incredible knockout victories made Jingliang a fan-favorite, as he won 7 fights between 2016 and 2019 to climb the UFC rankings.
Sadly, the Chinese fighter couldn’t string together enough wins to earn a title shot, and was last seen getting knocked out by Carlos Prates at UFC 305.
However, at his peak, there is no doubting that Jingliang is one of the best Chinese fighters to compete in the UFC.
1. Zhang Weili
Not only is Zhang Weili the greatest Chinese MMA star, but she is in the argument for being one of the top female fighters in UFC history.
The UFC Women’s Strawweight champion is a two-time holder of the belt, beating numerous top challengers like Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade to reign as queen of the division.
Weili has lost only three times in her career, with one being her first-ever fight back in 2013. Her two UFC losses came against Rose Namajunas, proving to be her kryptonite inside the octagon.
She is the first-ever Chinese champion in UFC history, the first two-time Women’s Strawweight champion in history, and a trailblazer for Chinese fighters to aspire to be like.
With her second title reign still going strong, it will take a really special talent to overtake her as China’s greatest MMA fighter. It could be done by Mingyang, but it will take some impressive performances to be considered better than Weili.