[2][3] In 2003, he defeated Xu Xiaodong via submission in one of the earliest televised MMA bouts in China which helped popularize BJJ in the country.
[5] In 2003, after his gym established its reputation, Pi was invited to attend what would be one of the earliest domestic MMA competitions in China which was also televised.
[4][5] After the fight, Pi noted how the competition lacked any real formal supervision such as doctors, judges etc leading to concern MMA and BJJ might get banned in China due to insufficient fighter protection.
[3][8] Using their father's business executive with ties to China as well as relentless sales approach, They successfully made contact with the Chinese government and obtained the proper permits for hosting a sporting event.
[3][5] The promotion was called Art of War Fighting Championship and was owned by the Pi's privately-held sports management company, the Adoria Entertainment Group.
Its largest event was Art of War 12 - Invincible, held at the National Olympic Sports Center Auditorium in Beijing on 23 May 2009 to an audience of around 6,000 fans.
[8][11] The event attracted many international guests, including former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia, renowned ring announcer Michael Buffer, and experienced referee "Big" John McCarthy.
[10] Since then Zhang has founded China Top Team gym and acted as coach to ranked UFC fighters such as Li Jingliang and Yan Xiaonan.