Trailblazer Zhang kicking door open for new generation

In a quiet, leafy Beijing suburb, a lethal weapon is letting rip. At just 5-foot-3, the diminutive yet powerful figure is locked in concentration, her eyes unmoving from the padded targets she attacks with fists and feet at Black Tiger gym in the north of the capital.

Zhang Weili's goal is clear: beat Jessica Andrade in a strawweight bout on Aug 31 in Shenzhen and become China's first UFC world champion.

When not in combat mode, Zhang is a picture of calm, even with a world-title fight around the corner.