‘Family Is My Driving Force’ – Zhang Peimian Fighting For A Purpose At ONE Fight Night 16

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For strawweight kickboxing standout Zhang Peimian, fighting is about more than just winning and losing. It's about family. And every time he steps into the ONE Championship spotlight, that's exactly what he's fighting for.

After losing out on the vacant ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title to Jonathan Di Bella last year at ONE 162, "Fighting Rooster" has been on a journey to repay his parents. And that takes him to ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade on Saturday (November 4).

Zhang will face Portuguese powerhouse Rui Botelho at Bangkok, Thailand's iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on that night. And he does so with more at stake than just picking up a victory.

The 20-year-old phenom has a wise head on his young shoulders. His plan is to give his family a better life. And through his talented hands and feet, he knows succeeding in kickboxing will improve his family's quality of life tenfold.

"I have had a strong sense of family since my childhood under the influence of my parents. So, I knew that whenever I had the ability, I needed to improve my family's environment," Zhang said. "Family is my driving force. As long as I succeed, I will repay my parents."

The pressure to succeed with family relying on you can be a heavy burden to bear for some people, let alone a 20-year-old. But Peimian uses the responsibility as motivation. And given his fighting prowess on show, it's utilized to its maximum potential.

Having faced setbacks before, Zhang is ready for the big payback. Now, the Chinese superstar will look to continue resurging toward World Title contention at ONE Fight Night 16 - with family at the forefront of his mind.

"The best qualities I learned from my parents were hard work and responsibility," Zhang said. "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."