UFC / Road to UFC • Women's Strawweight

Shi Ming

"Dr. Sleep"

RECORD18-6-0

Biography

One of the most unique stories in MMA today — Shi Ming is a full-time traditional Chinese medicine doctor by day and a UFC fighter by night. Born in Heilongjiang and raised in Kunming, she began training taekwondo at age 13 and transitioned to MMA in her 20s. She rose to viral fame after winning the Road to UFC Season 3 Women's Strawweight tournament with a devastating third-round head kick KO over Feng Xiaocan at UFC Macau in November 2024 — earning a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Nicknamed 'Dr. Sleep' for her knockout power and medical background, she kept her entire fighting career secret from her family until that viral moment forced her two worlds to collide. She currently holds a UFC record of 2-1.

Tale of the Tape

Height5'2" (157 cm)

Reach60.0" (152 cm)

Fighting StyleCatch Wrestling / Striking

Camp / TeamChina Catch Wrestling

HometownKunming, Yunnan, China

OrganizationUFC / Road to UFC

Win Distribution

Knockout (KO)2

Submission7

Decision9

Loss Distribution

Knockout (KO)0

Submission0

Decision6

Media Logs

Tactical Cage Film Analysis

WIN

vs. Feng Xiaocan

Road to UFC Season 3 — Women's Strawweight Final | UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Figueiredo • Nov 23, 2024

Vector: Patient pressure fighting followed by a perfectly timed head kick finish

Trailing on the scorecards through two rounds against the taller Feng Xiaocan, Shi Ming refused to abandon her gameplan. Less than a minute into the final round she landed a thunderous right-leg roundhouse head kick that knocked Xiaocan unconscious, earning her the Road to UFC Season 3 championship, a UFC contract, and a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

KO (Head Kick)

Round 3, 0:46

LOSS

vs. Bruna Brasil

Road to UFC Season 4 Semifinals — Shanghai | UFC Debut • Aug 22, 2025

Vector: Significant reach and height disadvantage exploited by Brasil

In her official UFC debut, Shi Ming faced a significant size disadvantage against the taller Bruna Brasil. Despite showing heart and finishing ability, she was unable to impose her grappling game and fell to a unanimous decision across all three rounds in Shanghai.

Decision (Unanimous)

Round 3, 5:00

WIN

vs. Puja Tomar

Road to UFC Season 5 — Day 2 Main Event | UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Figueiredo • May 29, 2026

Vector: Forward pressure striking to set up takedown and methodical ground control

Shi Ming delivered a dominant first-round submission victory over India's Puja Tomar in the Day 2 main event of Road to UFC Season 5 in Macau. She used blitzing punch combinations to close distance, secured a clean takedown, advanced to side control, and patiently set up an arm triangle choke to force the tap at 3:12 — sending the partisan Macau crowd into a frenzy and cementing herself as a legitimate UFC strawweight contender.

Submission (Arm Triangle Choke)

Round 1, 3:12