View: https://youtu.be/ELHrACk_Dr8
"I was like a wild animal leaving its mother for the very first time to hunt the prey. Having no fear but very excited no matter how dangerous it could be."
The path to MMA success for Meng Bo started faster and more ferociously than it does for most. At just age 17, the Xi'an, China native went toe-to-toe with another human for the very first time. "I think at the age 16 - 17 is a good age to cultivate one's mental toughness," she told MyMMANews.
In the said debut, the young 115-pound athlete took on a future trailblazer in her country's history. The two-round bout's result seeing Meng's hand raised via unanimous judge's call.
While many who topple future legends early in their careers often fade into obscurity, Meng has done the opposite. Since her 2013 showdown with the now-UFC champion, Zhang Weili, she's amassed a sturdy record of her own at 17-5. A clear top contender among her division's ranks in ONE Championship, Meng's potential was evident from the jump.
But despite her rise to this point, she remains largely viewed as "the fighter to have defeated Zhang." At the moment, it's a bittersweet moniker but motivation all the same.
"Yeah, I'm pretty annoyed with everyone comparing me with Zhang Weili," Meng expressed with a smirk. "But it's an honor to me as well. Though my record is not yet as shiny as Weili's, my name Meng Bo has been mentioned with hers all the time. And now I set up a goal for myself that one day, and I do all my best effort to make that day come soon, that I will be the next MMA superstar. So people will take my name Meng Bo and they will ask Zhang Weili the other way around.
"I defeated Zhang Weili and no one can change that. We were not that experienced at that time, but we were not that amateur as well. Because we both had professional training and skills. And the other thing I think you have to know is we didn't have many professional MMA promotions seven-eight years ago in China. So I think that is the reason it hasn't been changed to amateur on our records. In my mind, it was still a professional fight."
Continued: Meng Bo: More than just a one-hit wonder