Latest news with #AfterTyphoon
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘After Typhoon' Star & UFC Champion Zhang Weili Signs With Paradigm
EXCLUSIVE: Paradigm has signed actor and UFC champion Zhang Weili for representation in all areas. Weili is a two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion who became the first fighter born in China to win a UFC title in 2019 when she defeated Jessica Andrade in 42 seconds. She earned the title a second time in 2022 after defeating Carla Esparza. Advertisement More from Deadline She has headlined some of the UFC's most celebrated events, including UFC 300 and her five-round battle with Joanna Jędrzejczyk. As a fighter, she is notable for her relentless pace, elite precision, and toughness. Weili may next face Valentina Shevchenko in a champion vs. champion superfight, officially in negotiations by UFC leadership. The bout stands to bring together two of the most accomplished fighters in MMA with a win that would give Weili a second UFC title. Beyond the octagon, Weili continues to expand her presence in global media and entertainment. She starred in After Typhoon, a dramatic feature directed by Yu Li and produced by Laurel Films, which premiered at the Beijing International Film Festival earlier this year. Advertisement A couple of projects based on her life are now in production. iQIYI, China's leading streaming platform, has just greenlit a scripted drama series based on her life, with acclaimed director and producer Peter Ho Sun Chan attached. For the big screen, China's SUNAC Films is working on a biopic based on Weili's life story. The documentary feature Unstoppable, which follows Weili's journey from losing her belt to reclaiming it, is currently on the festival circuit and recently won the top prize at the FIRST Film Festival. The title is set for theatrical release across China later this year. 'Weili is not just a champion. She is a generational symbol of strength, excellence, and possibility. Weili has the presence to lead in film, fashion, and media, and we are curating a strategy that reflects the scale of her ambition,' shared Nick LoPiccolo, Head of the Sports Group at Paradigm. In the beauty and brand space, she became the face of Estée Lauder's first China-specific campaign featuring an athlete in 2021, starring in a bold Double Wear spot reframing strength and femininity. It marked the first time a major global beauty brand partnered with an MMA fighter, and that Estée Lauder aligned with a professional MMA athlete in China. Under Armour and Monster Energy currently feature Weili as a brand ambassador in China. She has also led brand partnerships for Carlsberg, Budweiser, Pepsi, Audi, Honor, and IQOO. Advertisement Weili signs with Paradigm to expand her global career across sport, film, fashion, and branded storytelling. She continues to work with longtime agent Li Meng and now collaborates with Paradigm to build a strategy that matches her platform. The multihyphenate joins a sports roster at Paradigm that includes top global athletes, including Mike Tyson, Ray Lewis, Amanda Serrano, Reggie Bush, CM Punk, Aaron Donald, Liv Morgan, and Savannah Bananas. The Sports Group works across film, TV, media, and brand partnerships to shape careers that resonate far beyond competition. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
France 24
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
UFC champ Zhang says acting 'experiment' and fighting not so different
Zhang co-stars as a fisherwoman with mutism in After Typhoon, a feminist indie film exploring themes of sexual assault and friendship by award-winning director Li Yu. On the surface it's an unexpected twist for the first Chinese mixed martial arts fighter to win a UFC title and the current strawweight champion, who first claimed her crown by knocking out her opponent in 42 seconds. "It's not really a career transition, I see it more as an experiment," the 35-year-old told AFP in Shanghai. "I believe everything is connected in some way and there's actually a lot in common between fighting and acting... I find it really interesting -- a fresh experience." Zhang told the Hollywood Reporter that she was initially against the idea of being in a film, but was compelled by the character of A Xi. Because she cannot speak, "I had to express emotions through eye contact and body language", Zhang told AFP. This is where her fighting experience came in useful because it has helped her "develop a richer physical language", she said. Li, the director, has said Zhang's performance, especially as a first-time actress, was "truly astonishing". "Her authenticity was bone-deep. It wasn't performance -- she was living as that person," she told a post-screening session at an offshoot of the Beijing International Film Festival. The movie was initially scheduled for wider release in April but has been postponed. Zhang suggested it might be released over the summer. The MMA star, who received the script at the same time she was preparing for a title defence, has taken some lessons from her time on set back to the octagon. "When the director would call 'cut' and say we had to do another take, and then another, that taught me patience," she laughed. Previously, when told by the coach to do another set of exercises in training, "I'd be really frustrated".
