The UFC heavyweight champion got a “pick-me-up” from the former strawweight champion Weili Zhang. UFC fighters come in all shapes and sizes. The biggest of the heavyweights train similarly to the very smallest strawweight. In some instances…
The UFC heavyweight champion got a “pick-me-up” from the former strawweight champion Weili Zhang. UFC fighters come in all shapes and sizes. The biggest of the heavyweights train similarly to the very smallest strawweight. In some instances, they ever train together. Many think that the bigger fighter would always win in a fight, but as…
One week after last weekend’s pivotal main between Mackenzie Dern and Xiaonan Yan, which saw Yan emerge victorious in a highly competitive decision, let’s take a look back at the Top 10 performances in women’s main events. This list f…
One week after last weekend’s pivotal main between Mackenzie Dern and Xiaonan Yan, which saw Yan emerge victorious in a highly competitive decision, let’s take a look back at the Top 10 performances in women’s main events. This list focuses on the technicality, overcoming adversity, entertainment value, and showmanship of the bout. However, only main…
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has explained why it would be “sad” to see Zhang Weili return to the strawweight throne later this year. At UFC 274 this past May, Usman saw teammate and friend Rose Namajunas suffer defeat to C…
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has explained why it would be “sad” to see Zhang Weili return to the strawweight throne later this year. At UFC 274 this past May, Usman saw teammate and friend Rose Namajunas suffer defeat to Carla Esparza for the second time in her career. While the first meant she…
An undisputed strawweight championship fight between reigning division champion, Carla Esparza, and challenger, former division titleholder, Zhang Weili is set to co-headline UFC 281 on November 12. from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Attempting to secure her first successful title defense since beginning her second reign as strawweight champion, Californian veteran, […]
An undisputed strawweight championship fight between reigning division champion, Carla Esparza, and challenger, former division titleholder, Zhang Weili is set to co-headline UFC 281 on November 12. from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
Attempting to secure her first successful title defense since beginning her second reign as strawweight champion, Californian veteran, Esparza managed to clinch the undisputed crown back in May of this year in a lacklustre UFC 274 co-main event win over common-foe, Rose Namajunas.
Carla Esparza will look to land her first-ever successful UFC title defense, when paired with Zhang Weili
As for Hebei native, Zhang Weili, the former undisputed champion snapped a run of back-to-back defeats against the aforenoted, Namajunas back in June at UFC 275 in Singapore – stopping another common-opponent, Joanna Jedrzejczyk with a blistering second round spinning back-fist knockout. Ariel Helwani was first to report the news of Carla Esparza’s title defense against Zhang Weili at UFC 281.
The inaugural UFC strawweight champion, Team Oyama mainstay, Esparza managed to defeat Namajunas first back in December 2014, winning The Ultimate Fighter 20 as a result to boot.
Dropping the title immediately in a dominant striking loss to Jedrzejczyk, Esparza currently finds herself in the midst of an impressive run of six straight wins, adding Namajunas to prior victories against Virna Jandiroba, Alexa Grasso, Michelle Waterson, Marina Rodriguez, and Yan Xiaonan.
Winning her strawweight title on home soil in an August 2019 knockout win over Jessica Andrade, Weili would turn in a consensus 2020 Fight of the Year performance en route to a decision win over Jedrzejczyk in her sole title defense, before dropping the title to Namajunas in April of last year in a brutal high kick KO loss.
UFC 281 takes place on November 12. from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York – with an official headlining bout for the penultimate pay-per-view event of 2022 yet to be determined by the promotion.
A second title fight looks set to go down inside Madison Square Garden on November 12, with a bout between Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili reportedly agreed to for UFC 281. Joining a blockbuster headliner between middleweight king Israel Adesanya and Ale…
A second title fight looks set to go down inside Madison Square Garden on November 12, with a bout between Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili reportedly agreed to for UFC 281. Joining a blockbuster headliner between middleweight king Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira later this year will be the first defense of Esparza’s second reign….
Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna J?drzejczyk has backed two-time opponent Zhang Weili’s claim to a title shot but admitted that Carla Esparza’s ‘fear’ may get in the way. At UFC 275 last month, J?drzejczyk co…
Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna J?drzejczyk has backed two-time opponent Zhang Weili’s claim to a title shot but admitted that Carla Esparza’s ‘fear’ may get in the way. At UFC 275 last month, J?drzejczyk collided with Zhang in a much-anticipated rematch. While the spinning backfist that ended the contest in the second round left…