“Saving lives by day, battling in the Octagon by night.”
This is the daily life of Shi Ming, a 30-year-old female practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), after signing with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). Based in Kunming, Yunnan, Shi specializes in acupuncture and massage therapy. She explains, “Studying medicine taught me how to pull back my punches—how not to cause unnecessary harm.”
To prepare for UFC competitions, Shi spent the past six months immersed in rigorous training. After finishing work at the clinic each day, she ran, built strength, and practiced combat skills; weekends were also dedicated to conditioning. Though she is a professional physician, she considers mixed martial arts her ultimate dream and has worked tirelessly toward it.
Shi began martial arts at the age of 13, practicing taekwondo, sanda, and wrestling. Over time, her greatest passion proved to be mixed martial arts. By day, she heals patients; by night, she becomes a warrior. In her view, MMA is far from reckless brawling—it is a highly technical sport. “If your wrestling skills are well-honed, the risk of injury in this sport is actually quite low. It strengthens the body, sharpens the mind, and provides a means of self-protection.”
On November 23, 2024, during the UFC Road to Elite event in Macau, Shi stunned the audience by knocking out her opponent Feng Xiaocan with a devastating high kick to win the women’s strawweight final. The strike even made UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili exclaim that it gave her “goosebumps.” What made the moment even more memorable was the commentary: right after the KO, one commentator gasped, “I think we need a doctor,” to which the other replied, “We already have one inside the Octagon.” That witty exchange introduced Shi to countless new fans as the “doctor fighter.”
Shi reflects: “I know how heavy my legs are, and I know the kind of damage my kicks can cause. In both training and competition, my focus isn’t on hitting as hard as I can, but on controlling myself—so my opponent doesn’t get seriously hurt.”
