- Strawweight fighter Zhang lifts NBA star
- UFC star stings Shaq with body punch
- Zhang lifted Francis Ngannou in 2022
Pint-size UFC champion Weili Zhang has left basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal speechless by lifting the hulking 150kg basketball star up off the ground – after shocking him with her punching power.
Zhang, 34, stands just 162cm and weighs in at 52kg, but that didn’t stop her from approaching one of the most physically imposing NBA players of all time.
In video clips the strawweight champion posted to social media, Zhang approached O’Neal in the gym and agreed hit him with a body shot.
Zhang pulled her punch, but the straight right hand was enough to make O’Neal keel over in shock.
Once he’d recovered, Zhang showed her astonishing strength by lifting up the fun-loving four-time NBA champion with a single-leg attack.
Weili Zhang (pictured competing in UFC 275 last year) wowed Shaquille O’Neal by lifting the 150kg basketball star up off the ground
Again, O’Neal was shocked by the power of the MMA superstar and was left smiling afterwards.
In 2022, Zhang also disregarded the laws of physics by picking up former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who weighed 132kg at the time.
Zhang not only hoisted the Cameroon-born knockout artist off the ground, she balanced him on her shoulder like he was nothing.
A quick look at Zhang’s training videos shows she’s no stranger to punishing workouts.
The powerful fighter from Handan in Hebei Province – who boasts a record of 24 wins and three losses in the strawweight division – lifts weights that would put many male professional athletes to shame.
In one especially astounding video she’s seen driving a barbell loaded with well over 200kg off the ground with powerful hip thrusts.
Joe Rogan said that Zhang showed she ‘might be the greatest of all time’ in women’s MMA after a comprehensive victory over Amanda Lemos earlier in the year at UFC 292.
It was a statement victory that cemented her status as the new face of women’s MMA following former two-weight champ Amanda Nunes’ retirement – but Rogan believes that Zhang may have already surpassed the Brazilian star.
![Joe Rogan said that Zhang showed she 'might be the greatest of all time' in women's MMA](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/04/03/76142123-12591251-Joe_Rogan_said_that_Zhang_showed_she_might_be_the_greatest_of_al-a-16_1696385976267.jpg)
Joe Rogan said that Zhang showed she ‘might be the greatest of all time’ in women’s MMA
![Zhang is the current and two-time UFC strawweight champion of the world](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/04/03/76142121-12591251-Zhang_is_the_current_and_two_time_UFC_strawweight_champion_of_th-a-17_1696385976301.jpg)
Zhang is the current and two-time UFC strawweight champion of the world
‘It’s hard to say but she’s phenomenal and she’s definitely the best pound-for-pound woman. She can do anything,’ Rogan said on the UFC 292 broadcast.
‘Her work ethic is just sensational. She’s so driven and so dynamic, she can strike, take you down – she knows what to do, and when. She’s got so much championship-level experience now. She’s such a killer, and just dominated against Amanda Lemos.
‘Man, Zhang Weili is something special. She is as good as any woman who has ever competed in the sport, she might be the greatest of all time.’
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