WMMA fans, heck, even MMA fans in general, will tell you that Zhang Weili’s absence from the octagon has been an unfortunate one. Prior to losing her Strawweight title at UFC 261, Weili was on a phenomenal 21-fight winning streak.
After railing to regain her belt in her last appearance in 2021, Zhang Weili is well and truly back on winning form and could well have the crown within her grasp before the year is out.
History Repeating
UFC 248 was a moment that went down in MMA history. Just three short years ago, UFC fans were still getting introduced to their new Strawweight Champion. Zhang Weili had claimed the title from Jessica Andrade in Shenzen seven months’ prior, making her the first-ever Chinese UFC champion in the history of the promotion.
As commendable as her win was – flooring Andrade with a barrage of knees and punches just 42 seconds into the first round – it sadly wasn’t held on the world’s stage.
UFC 248 was a different story, however. Not only was her first title defense a co-main even of a major PPC card (Adesanya vs Romero), she was facing a mighty challenger in the form of Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who had previously made five successful title defenses for that very same belt.
Jedrzejczyk may have been hoping to reclaim her status as the current generation’s greatest women’s strawweight fighter, but Zhang had other plans. After a grueling five rounds that pushed both athletes to their absolute limits, judges eventually ruled in favor of the titleholder.
It was a loss that has plagued Jedrzejczyk ever since, making their rematch at UFC 275 in early June one of the most anticipated of the year. For Jedrzejczyk, it was one final shot at reaching the pinnacle of MMA – especially since she announced her retirement at the end of the bout – but for Zhang, it was a brand-new start at the climb to the top.
A Spectacular KO
For sure, there have been some incredible knockouts throughout the history of the UFC, but Zhang’s brutal demolition of Jedrzejczyk after just two rounds deserves to be up there with the best of the best. Both women delivered one of the most exciting fights of the year, period, let alone the best women’s MMA match of 2022 so far.
The fight was well and truly on from the moment that first bell rang. Both women mixed it up with blistering strikes before Weili executed a solid takedown two minutes into round one. Maintaining textbook ground control, she seemed to have the upper hand until Jedrzejczyk made her way to her feet and dropped a massive left hook in the remaining seconds of the round.
The ferocious pace continued in round two as the two traded leg kick after leg kick. After an aborted attempt at another takedown, Zhang Weili’s triumph came in the form of a spectacular spinning back fist that dropped the veteran fighter as she rushed in.
Second Coming for Zhang Weili
Dana White had already decided the contest on June 11th 2022, would indeed be a title eliminator bout. So, with Jedrzejczyk out of the picture and her nemesis Rose Namajunas not in contention for another crack at the belt for a while, logic determines that Zhang Weili is next in line to challenge current title-holder Carla Esparza.
Daniel Cormier, too, sees her as the only logical contender for a championship challenge. During the latest episode of his DC & RC podcast for ESPN, Cormier dubbed Zhang “the biggest challenger” in the strawweight division, stating that not only would she be a “massive favorite” over Esparaza, but that she’s determined enough to do it.
Nothing that her determination “was on full display” at UFC275, Cormier – as many of us fans already know – sees that “All (Zhang) wants to be is the world champion” and believes she’s single-minded enough to get there once again.
Should this anticipated challenger bout happen for the strawweight belt against Esparza, Zhang has some thoughts about where she wants it to take place. Following her win, she told reporters at the post-fight press conference that she was to “fight with Carla in Abu Dhabi” in October, believing that fighting in neutral territory would give them both an opportunity to compete at their best.