DOCTOR-TURNED-FIGHTER CAPTURES IMAGINATION OF MMA FANS

Amazing story of medical worker joining professional ranks inspires women in China, worldwide

With her rise to stardom from an unlikely background intriguing fans around the world, doctor-turned-fighter Shi Ming has helped mixed martial arts tap into a larger fan base, particularly women in China.

The 30-year-old traditional Chinese medicine practitioner's ascent into the brutal world of professional MMA seems at odds with her day job as an acupuncturist at a Kunming hospital in Yunnan province, relaxing patients' muscles and easing their pain. She had even kept her martial arts ambitions a secret from her parents for years.

But, at the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Fight Night in Macao on Nov 23, the soft-spoken Heilongjiang province native revealed her fierce alter ego in a sensational knockout win to earn a contract with the Las Vegas-based MMA organization.