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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….
Continue Reading Esparza vs. Zhang Reportedly Signed For UFC 281 On Nov. 12 at MMA News.
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…
Continue Reading J?drzejczyk Backs Zhang Title Shot, Suggests Esparza “Might Be Scared” at MMA News.
Coming off arguably the most impressive win of her career, Zhang Weili is ready to reclaim the UFC’s strawweight title. The 32-year-old is fresh off a highlight-reel knockout of former strawweight champion Joanna J?drzejczyk at UFC 275. J?drzejczyk retired following the loss, while Zhang appears poised to be the first challenger for current champion Carla…
Continue Reading Zhang Weili: The Time Has Come For Me To Dominate The SW Division at MMA News.
Coming off arguably the most impressive win of her career, Zhang Weili is ready to reclaim the UFC’s strawweight title.
The 32-year-old is fresh off a highlight-reel knockout of former strawweight champion Joanna J?drzejczyk at UFC 275. J?drzejczyk retired following the loss, while Zhang appears poised to be the first challenger for current champion Carla Esparza.
Speaking to China Daily, “Magnum” outlined her vision for a second UFC title reign and the improvements she’s made since her first stint with the belt.
“I think the time has come for me to do it (dominate the division) after the retirement of Joanna, which means the end of an era…Technically, I’ve grown into an all-around fighter, but more importantly I think I am more mature mentally.”
Zhang lost her pro MMA debut in 2013 but won every other fight leading up to her arrival in the UFC in 2018. Three-straight wins earned her a shot at champion Jéssica Andrade, and after winning the title “Magnum” successfully defended it against J?drzejczyk before suffering two-straight losses to Rose Namajunas.
“The two losses really gave me a chance to reflect on myself and reassess all the pros and cons of my career in the UFC after a flying start,” Zhang said. “Now I am more focused on what I want and how to achieve it. I am ready to come back stronger to create my own legend.”
The 32-year-old told China Daily that she’s open to a third fight with Namajunas at some point, but her immediate focus is on Carla Esparza. “The Cookie Monster” defeated Namajunas at UFC 274 to reclaim the strawweight title she originally won back in 2014.
While Esparza has publically reminded Zhang that she’s in control of a potential fight between the two, “Magnum” will be ready when her opportunity comes.
“It’s up to the UFC to come up with a date and location with Carla. For me, I am going to focus on making my preparations to the best of my ability. It doesn’t matter when and where, it’s only a matter of time.”
What do you think of Zhang’s comments about a potential second reign as the UFC’s strawweight champion?
Continue Reading Zhang Weili: The Time Has Come For Me To Dominate The SW Division at MMA News.
Carla Esparza is now in the driver’s seat regarding a matchup with Zhang Weili. With the UFC strawweight championship belt securely in the hands of newly crowned champion Carla Esparza, she is calling her own shots. The bout between Zhang Weili and Joanna J?drzejczyk at UFC 275 was supposed to determine the next title challenger…
Continue Reading Esparza Claims Zhang Weili Turned Down Two Fights While Champion at MMA News.
Carla Esparza is now in the driver’s seat regarding a matchup with Zhang Weili.
With the UFC strawweight championship belt securely in the hands of newly crowned champion Carla Esparza, she is calling her own shots. The bout between Zhang Weili and Joanna J?drzejczyk at UFC 275 was supposed to determine the next title challenger according to UFC President Dana White. With Weili coming out victorious a bout with Esparza should be set, however, Esparza isn’t ready to sign that contract so quickly.
“I’ve actually accepted two fights with Weili and she turned them down when she was champ,” Esparza told MMA Fighting. “So I’m not afraid to fight anybody. I just gotta do it on my timeline.”
Esparza is claiming that during Weili’s title run the UFC tried to match them up on multiple occasions. Weili was the strawweight champion from 2019 to 2021. During that time, she only faced two opponents, Rose Namajunas, and J?drzejczyk. Meanwhile, Esparza was staying active with four fights of her own. She explained why she didn’t fight Weili back then.
“Yes, when there was kind of a hold on the fight that was supposed to happen with Rose and Weili, they offered me the fight with Weili twice, and I accepted both times. One was a little longer time, one was short notice,” she explained. “But, I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t care if it’s one week, the opportunity to fight for the belt, I’m gonna take any opportunity.’ And I said yes, and she said no.”
Esparza only won the belt about a month ago and is adamant that her first title defense happens on her timeline. There has been some backlash from these comments, some implying that Esparza may be scared to face Weili. She denies these claims and states that, in fact, she will accept the fight as she has done twice before.
“So, I even have messages from people who saw the media being ready to put out at one of the pay-per-views, I think in like, November or something, where they were ready to announce the fight between me and Weili, but they kept waiting to hear back from her, if she was gonna accept it, and it ended up that she didn’t,” she said.
Do you think Carla Esparza will make her first title defense against Zhang Weili?
Continue Reading Esparza Claims Zhang Weili Turned Down Two Fights While Champion at MMA News.
Awards are always tough to parse in MMA. Every card has its own highlight reel, with big finishes and title-picture implications. In MMA, there’s no such…
Awards are always tough to parse in MMA. Every card has its own highlight reel, with big finishes and title-picture implications. In MMA, there’s no such…
UFC strawweight champion, Carla Esparza believes that Marina Rodriguez deserves the next title shot over Zhang Weili. Following her sensational rematch win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk, former champion Zhang Weili called for and was anointed the number one contender spot. However, the current champion, Carla Esparza believes that Marina Rodriguez, a former opponent, is more deserving […]
UFC strawweight champion, Carla Esparza believes that Marina Rodriguez deserves the next title shot over Zhang Weili.
Following her sensational rematch win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk, former champion Zhang Weili called for and was anointed the number one contender spot. However, the current champion, Carla Esparza believes that Marina Rodriguez, a former opponent, is more deserving of a title shot.
“I don’t think [Zhang] is [more deserving],” Esparza said to MMA Fighting. “I think that Marina has won five straight, I think she’s beaten top-level competition. She’s been staying active, and for me, she’s proven herself. She deserves a title shot. But for whatever reason, I’m sure there’s a lot that goes into it and Weili is getting the shot.”
Rodriguez is currently riding a four-fight win streak after being defeated by Esparza in August of 2020. The Brazilian has produced some great wins over the likes of Mackenzie Dern, Michelle Waterson, and Amanda Ribas.
Although Esparza feels that Rodriguez Is the most deserving and recognizes the improvements in her game, she isn’t fazed about who’s put in front of her even if she feels it isn’t the deserving opponent.
“For me, I fight whoever’s put in front of me, Esparza said. But doesn’t necessarily mean I think it’s fair or was the right call as far as the athlete goes. Every time I watch Marina, I see her getting better and better and beating top girls. Even having to knock somebody out twice in one fight in Amanda Ribas. She’s impressive.
“I definitely think she earned the title fight, and this is just the way it goes with the UFC sometimes. Whether it’s marketing or whatever else the reasoning, that’s just kind of how it goes, and you have to just roll with the punches.”
Although there is no set date for Esparza’s first title defense of her second reign as champion, it will undoubtedly be with either Zhang Weili or Marina Rodriguez. Of the other top five, Esparza is just fresh off a win over Rose Namajunas [No.1], with Dana White shutting down talks of a third fight between them.
As for Mackenzie Dern [No.4] and Yan Xianan [No.5], Rodriguez has beaten both back-to-back in the past eight months.