The “Fighting Rooster” Zhang Peimian will attempt to solidify his status as a top contender in ONE Championship’s strawweight kickboxing division at ONE Fight Night 16 on Friday, Nov. 3.
The Chinese star will battle Rui Botelho in a matchup that guarantees excitement, but Zhang is battling for more than a potential world title shot.
The 20-year-old wants to use his success as one of the world’s premier kickboxers to give back to his parents.
“I was born in a peasant family in a small village in Hepu, Guangxi, but I have a lovely family. I look back on my childhood fondly because my family gave me lots of love,” Zhang told ONE.
With ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella noting that a rematch with “Fighting Rooster” is inevitable, Zhang will be close to getting the rematch for the gold that he desires if he defeats his Portuguese foe on Nov. 3.
And as he continues to succeed, he will also have a chance to keep providing for his family.
“I have had a strong sense of family since my childhood under the influence of my parents. So, I knew that whenever I had the ability, I needed to improve my family’s environment,” Zhang stated.
“Family is my driving force. As long as I succeed, I will repay my parents.”
Zhang meteoric rise in martial arts doesn’t just come down to his inherent skills. He learned values as a child that helped him develop as a fighter and a person, and he is continually grateful for what he went through while working manual labor in his youth.
“The best qualities I learned from my parents were hard work and responsibility,” the Chinese star said.
“From having to do manual farm work when I was young, I learned that if you want to do something, you need to persist in it, no matter how hard it is.”
At just 20, Zhang is wise beyond his years. He is a credit to the values his parents instilled in him – ones he will bring with him into the ring in Bangkok on Nov. 3.
The Shenzen native is ever-thankful for what he has gained through his career so far, and he believes this is an essential characteristic for anyone who wants to achieve their goals.
“We need to know how to be grateful for what we have. I think people who don’t know how to be grateful can’t go far,” Zhang said.
ONE Fight Night 16 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all U.S. and Canada Amazon Prime subscribers.