Liang Na: China's MMA fighter

At daily training, Liang Na looks quite different in the 200-square-meter training hall at Longyun Mixed Martial Arts Club in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

Liang, 23, is not the only female MMA fighter in the club, but also one of the few in the country to have won a number of awards in various professional titles over the past three years.

She began to learn Wushu at the age of eight and was selected to Harbin wrestling team four years later because of her good physical quality and became a member of the provincial team in 2012, when she was 17.

"At the end of 2015, a friend took me to try MMA and I was immediately fascinated by it, despite the fact that I knew nothing about it," she said.

"MMA provides me more flexibility as there are fewer rules than wrestling," she said. "Therefore, I left the provincial team and joined the club without hesitation."

In order to compete in professional contest as early as possible, she spent an average of 10 hours everyday training and finally got admitted to a national game within six months.

She not only won the championship, but also set a record of beating 13 opponents successively during the game.

Because of her excellent performance, Liang got the chance to compete in Bellator MMA, the world's second-biggest MMA event.

"I was the first one from Asia to join the competition," she said. "It was really a precious experience in my life though I didn't get a good result because of a bad physical condition."

In August 2018, Liang won the MMA Asian Championships.

"I was proud of representing my country and winning the honor," she said.

"In MMA competitions, there are fewer female fighters than male fighters, especially in China," said Chai Chao, manager of the club. "Liang is really a hardworking and excellent fighter. Now she is also an excellent coach teaching amateurish trainees in our club."

"I have taught several female trainees in the club and I am happy to see more young girls attracted to this sport," she told China Daily.