“The Chinese often say, ‘You must eat every mouthful. The way is one step at a time,’” Zhang said. “If I beat Tecia, I will be ready for what’s next when it comes.”
That cool permeates throughout Zhang’s being. Whether in the Octagon or outside it, there is a sense that the 29-year-old doesn’t get rattled by much, if anything. It’s why she hasn’t lost since her pro debut in 2013, and why it wasn’t a shock to her when she was presented with a fight against perennial contender Torres after just two UFC fights. In fact, if Zhang had her way, she would have had a fight like this even sooner.
How soon? As soon as she left the Octagon after beating Taylor in August of last year.
When Zhang decisioned Taylor, it was a clear-cut victory that no one disputed, but it was far from the performance the Hebei native wanted to deliver in her UFC debut. Chalk it up to the UFC jitters, but there was more to it than that.
“As you know, my coaching staff was absent due to visa problems,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s my first show. Going to America by myself, getting ready to go to war, jet-lag by yourself, losing weight.’ The hardest part was when I was standing in the cage. I looked back and there wasn’t a familiar face. I couldn’t even hear a familiar voice. Now that I think about it, it’s a very scary environment. At the time, I thought the whole arena was quiet, and I could only hear myself breathing and saying I was scared.”
It’s not the situation any athlete wants to be in. Many freeze. Zhang went to work, but instead of fighting her usual fight, she decided that the best course of action was to get the win by any means necessary, then show what she could truly do the next time.
“I changed the tactics that the coaching team in Beijing made for me,” she said. “I lowered my requirements. Whatever wins. So I didn’t do well in that fight, but good thing we won the fight. And yeah, I heard a lot of questions back home. The Chinese media and my fans all have the ability to question me, and I was anxious and I hoped I could prove myself soon.”
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