Chinese doctor balances passion as UFC fighter with responsibility of medical profession

Shi Ming, a Chinese doctor and a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter, is setting her sights on the bigger competition arena while continuing to diligently care for her patients.

By day, Shi practices acupuncture at a hospital in Kunming City of southwest China's Yunnan Province; by night, she transforms into a fearless fighter stepping into the octagon.

Nicknamed "The Doctor," Shi embodies a unique duality, balancing the Hippocratic Oath of her medical career with the controlled violence of her burgeoning profession in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

The 30-year-old straw-weight made her full UFC debut in late August, headlining the Road to UFC card against Brazil's Bruna Brasil in Shanghai.

However, Shi fell to a unanimous 30-27 decision, as she was unable to build momentum or establish her offense against the taller Brazilian opponent.

"It was also because this time the competition was in Shanghai, with so many home fans supporting and cheering for me. If I didn't retain the championship, I think it would be a big regret," said Shi.

"This competition is the biggest international stage I've ever competed on, and I haven't managed to turn the pressure into motivation yet. Every night before falling asleep, I reflect a lot, review my notes, and try to recall what I did wrong and how I can improve," she added.

Driven by her passion for sports, Shi has explored various disciplines, including taekwondo, sanda and free fighting. The pure joy of sports itself is what keeps her motivated.

"For example, after training, I feel invigorated, especially during taekwondo sessions, where I can practice numerous performance techniques, which is quite fun. And every time I compete, I get to visit a new place," she said.

In 2015, after dedicated studies, Shi was admitted to Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine as a medical student. That same year, she began her journey into MMA.

The rising star proved herself dramatically in November 2024 in Macao, where a crushing head kick knockout of compatriot Feng Xiaocan at the Road to UFC finals electrified the crowd.

Down two rounds to Feng, Shi delivered one of those bludgeoning head kicks that immediately incapacitated her opponent.

Fans have been equally impressed by her dual career. Dubbed "the world's most powerful acupuncturist" by Chinese netizens and even compared her to martial arts legend Huang Feihong, Shi embraces the unique juxtaposition.

"There are actually very few female fighters in the fighting arena like me with low testosterone levels, which is probably why I have attracted so much attention," she said.

Shi has been training under Iranian coach Bagher Amanolahi since 2017. Despite training only six hours a week -- far less than her peers -- Shi's progress astonishes her coach.

"After every fight, we sit down and we go through the match, we check what she did wrong. Win or lose, there's always a lot to learn. Maybe it's not even a good thing to say you lose -- I think it's more like you win or you learn," said Amanolahi.

Shi specializes in stroke, pain management and chronic geriatric conditions, and she remains committed to her medical career even after signing with the UFC.

"It has been an arduous journey to go from a medical student to a doctor, costing me a lot of time and energy, and I don't want to give it up so easily. I also have many patients to care for, and I believe that being a doctor is a responsibility," she said.

MMA is a sport that allows and encourages competitors to inflict maximum damage on their opponents through pummeling fists, cutting elbows, suffocating grappling and bludgeoning kicks.

Despite China's historic links with martial arts, MMA is a relatively new arrival in the country, with the sport only breaking through to the mainstream after Zhang Weili became China's first-ever UFC world champion in Shenzhen in 2019.

Chinese doctor balances passion as UFC fighter with responsibility of medical profession

Colombians are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect their next president. The country's constitution prevents the current President, Gustavo Petro, from running for a second term.

Yet, many see this election as a referendum on the policies of Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist president.

There are 14 candidates on Sunday's ballot, but the polls show it will likely be a tight three-way race.

The frontrunner is Ivan Cepeda, a 63-year-old three-term senator, representing President Gustavo Petro's party, the Historic Pact coalition. Cepeda has vowed to defend and deepen Petro's progressive reforms and social justice policies to reduce inequality. He also promises to continue the government's controversial "Total Peace" strategy to negotiate the disarmament of remaining guerrilla groups and criminal gangs.

"True prosperity comes from equality, from access to rights, and from transforming the peripheral and excluded territories of the rural world," Cepeda said at a campaign rally.

Running as a political outsider and independent is Abelardo de la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer, nicknamed "The Tiger." He has presented himself as the "authority and order" candidate who will reduce state spending by up to 40 percent in the next four years.

"(First,) we must fight insecurity. Colombia is suffering today from a pandemic of insecurity. Crime is out of control: extortion, cattle theft, smuggling, drug trafficking," he said to his supporters at an election event.

According to polls, the third candidate with strong support is Paloma Valencia. The 48-year-old senator represents the Democratic Center party led by popular former President Alvaro Uribe Velez. Her candidacy is backed by politicians and economists who are concerned with growing levels of public debt. They want to see a return to more conservative fiscal policies.

"I don't want to be a president who governs alone, locked away in glass offices. I want to be a president who stands with citizens, who embraces them, who reaches out to them, who has a team, and who governs to transform Colombia," the candidate said at the campaign event

According to polls earlier in the year, many voters are expressing concerns about unemployment, rising living costs, corruption, and, above all, public security.

The election comes after a turbulent year that the International Committee of the Red Cross has called "the worst humanitarian consequences of armed conflict over the past decade."

"(We arrive at this election in a tense atmosphere - tense) because of the economic situation, because of the security situation, and because of the narratives that have been built around the country's main problems. On top of that, emotions, ideas and social media have all helped raise (the tone,)" said Eduardo Velosa, associate professor from International Studies Javeriana University.

If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held between the top two finishers on June 21st.

Colombians prepare to choose their next president