WhatCulture UFC Awards: Best Of 2019
7. Female Fighter Of The Year - Zhang Weili
From the moment Zhang Weili threw her first punch in the Octagon, it was quite obvious that were was something special about her. It's hard to put a finger on it, but Weili had the same aura that Conor McGregor and Jon Jones had when they made their debuts and it was difficult to deny.
The 30-year old exhibited far more power than the vast majority of her fellow strawweights, packing a punch that would force opponents to step back and reassess. Her grappling game was also exceptional, using it to submit MMA veteran, Jessica Aguilar, in her second fight in the UFC. She just had a je ne sais quoi about her that put her above everyone else in her weight class.
After battering Tecia Torres for three rounds at UFC 235, Weili finally got her title fight in her home country of China. It was truly her moment to shine and she didn't let anyone down. It took her only 42 seconds to blitz Jessica Andrade and land a combination of strikes that left the Brazilian bloody and sprawled out on the canvas. It was a sensational victory and made her the first Chinese fighter to ever win a UFC title.