The 22-year-old Chinese knockout artist knows a spectacular performance could put him back in position for another crack at the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title – the same championship he fought for against Jonathan Di Bella in 2022. But before this Friday’s showdown, Zhang's mind drifts back to where it all started – a small village in southern China where a poor farming family raised a son who would become known as "The Fighting Rooster.”

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Growing Up In The Fields

Life in Hepu, Guangxi, wasn't easy. Zhang Peimian grew up in a peasant family where survival meant everyone contributed, including the children who spent their days helping with farm work instead of focusing on studies. Money was tight, opportunities were limited, and the future looked predetermined – another generation working the same fields their parents worked.

School didn't capture young Zhang's attention. He wasn't a brilliant student, and the classroom felt disconnected from the reality he lived every day in the fields. But childhood still found ways to be magical. Between farm duties, Zhang and his friends created their own adventures – raiding bird nests for eggs, catching fish in ditches, and foraging for wild berries.

Those simple pleasures provided escape from the harsh economic realities his family faced. Every day reinforced the same lesson: life would be hard, success would require sacrifice, and opportunities wouldn't come looking for him. If Zhang wanted something different from what the village offered, he'd have to fight for it.

"I was born in a peasant family in a small village in Hepu, Guangxi, but I have a lovely family," Zhang said. “The best qualities I learned from my parents were hard work and responsibility. 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.”

Finding Purpose Through Combat

Everything changed when Zhang turned 11. The school principal introduced him to kickboxing, presenting it as an opportunity that could change his trajectory. Zhang felt uncertain – combat sports weren't part of his world, and the idea of fighting professionally seemed as distant as the cities he'd only heard about.

Then, one day, he put on the gloves.

The first time Zhang hit the pads, something clicked. Suddenly the restless energy that made him struggle in school had purpose. His parents recognized the transformation immediately and supported their son's new passion, even though it meant less help with farm work. What started as curiosity became obsession. Zhang's natural talent combined with relentless work ethic produced rapid improvement that shocked everyone around him.

By age 13, Zhang had outgrown local competition. His coaches sent him to Shengli Fight Club, where he trained alongside professionals and learned what world-class striking required. That same year, he turned professional and faced his first adult opponent in Chengdu. The height difference was obvious. The weight differential was significant. But none of it mattered.

"My first professional fight was in Chengdu in October 2017. The opponent was an adult. I was young and small," Zhang said. "There was a big gap in height and weight, but I drove him into a corner with strikes and knocked him out. That's when I started to get noticed.”

From Village To World Stage

Victories piled up as "The Fighting Rooster" carved through competition across China. Each knockout brought Zhang closer to the international stage he dreamed about while working his family's fields. The breakthrough came when he won the Road to ONE: China tournament, earning his spot in the world's largest martial arts organization and a chance to compete against the best kickboxers from around the globe.

2022 started perfectly. Zhang won his first two ONE Championship bouts and immediately found himself fighting Jonathan Di Bella for the inaugural ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title by year’s end. The opportunity came faster than anyone expected, but the result stung – Zhang lost the fight and watched someone else claim the 26-pound golden belt he'd been chasing.

That defeat could have broken a less motivated fighter. But Zhang didn't escape poverty and farm life by quitting when things got hard. Every fight since that title loss has been about earning another shot at gold. Friday's clash with Barboza carries massive implications – beat him spectacularly, and the championship conversation starts again.

 More than gold motivates the prodigious striker, though. Every knockout and every victory represents proof to his parents that their sacrifice mattered.

"My parents are my motivation. I will prove myself and repay my parents for their parenting," Zhang said. "The most important thing for me [was also having a] coach that always encouraged and supported me. I grew up and realized that I didn't get here by accident. It was the team that made me."

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