Former UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili is prepared to showcase the grappling aspect of her repertoire after working with a wrestling great. Zhang will face another former UFC champion, Joanna J?drzejczyk in a featured bout on the UFC 275 main card this weekend. Both fighters are looking to earn another title shot in what’s been…
Former UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili is prepared to showcase the grappling aspect of her repertoire after working with a wrestling great.
Zhang will face another former UFC champion, Joanna J?drzejczyk in a featured bout on the UFC 275 main card this weekend. Both fighters are looking to earn another title shot in what’s been deemed by UFC President Dana White as a No. 1 contender bout.
Zhang showed off impressive wrestling in her last fight against Rose Namajunas at UFC 268, despite losing via a split decision. She’s been working with former UFC two-weight champion and former Olympic wrestler Henry Cejudo in preparation for her matchup with J?drzejczyk.
During her UFC 275 pre-fight media day, Zhang was asked if her wrestling training will impact the product of her upcoming performance.
“Definitely I will use some wrestling in this match,” Zhang said. “I learned a lot from Henry, and if I don’t use it, that would be a waste.”
Zhang has been training with Deiveson Figueiredo, Cejudo, and others at Fight Ready MMA in Arizona. While she’s been known for her impressive stand-up, her wrestling has made huge leaps and makes her a more dangerous puzzle to solve.
Zhang will look to earn the next strawweight title against the champion, Carla Esparza, with a victory. She’ll look to make Cejudo proud with her newfound wrestling skills being a major component of her performance.
Do you think Zhang Weili will give Joanna J?drzejczyk issues with her wrestling?
Former undisputed UFC strawweight champion, Zhang Weili has criticized the performance of two-time opponent, Rose Namajunas during her UFC 274 title loss against Carla Esparza last month in Pheonix, Arizona – claiming the former only intended to “take care” of her title rather than putting in a performance which would retain it. Weili, a two-time […]
Former undisputed UFC strawweight champion, Zhang Weili has criticized the performance of two-time opponent, Rose Namajunas during her UFC 274 title loss against Carla Esparza last month in Pheonix, Arizona – claiming the former only intended to “take care” of her title rather than putting in a performance which would retain it.
Weili, a two-time opponent of Namajunas, suffered her lone UFC losses against the ONX Labs trainee, the first of which came in a shocking first round title loss against Namajunas – courtesy of a brutal high-kick knockout in April of last year.
Returning in an immediate undisputed championship rematch at UFC 268 in November, Weili suffered a more comprehensive unanimous decision loss to the two-time titleholder.
Set to return this weekend in an attempt to snap a two-fight skid, Hebei native, Weili welcomes former champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk back to the Octagon for the first time since their momentous UFC 248 battle – as the pair engage in a clear-cut title-eliminator at 115lbs.
Sharing her thoughts on Namajunas’ criticized performance at UFC 274 in the ‘Copper State’, Weili claimed that the now-former champion only intended on taking care of her undisputed title – to her detriment.
“I feel like, definitely Rose (Namajunas) was feeling a lot of pressure when she stepped into the Octagon, Zhang Weili said through an interpreter during her media availability ahead of UFC 275 in Singapore. “Definitely, she wanted to take care of her belt and didn’t want to fight hard, wanted to fight more strategically and easily against Carla (Esparza).
“But, as a champion, as an MMA fighter, you should not think about that,” Zhang Weili said. “Tou should always, in the fight, (give) your everything into the Octagon, and fight your heart out. I don’t think Rose should fight with an attitude like (that).”
Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk were both heralded for their UFC 248 performance
Weili’s most recent professional victory came in the form of her first and ultimately sole successful title defense against the aforenoted, Jedrzejczyk back in March 2020, defeating her upcoming opponent with a close, split decision victory in the consensus 2020 Fight of the Year.
UFC women’s strawweight contender Zhang Weili has given her take on fellow former champion Rose Namajunas’ performance at UFC 274 last month. This weekend at UFC 275, Zhang will enter the Octagon for the first time since back-to-back losses to Namajunas in 2021. While the first, a head-kick knockout, saw the title ripped from her…
UFC women’s strawweight contender Zhang Weili has given her take on fellow former champion Rose Namajunas’ performance at UFC 274 last month.
This weekend at UFC 275, Zhang will enter the Octagon for the first time since back-to-back losses to Namajunas in 2021. While the first, a head-kick knockout, saw the title ripped from her grasp, the rematch saw “Magnum” fall on the wrong side of a narrow split-decision verdict.
But as she prepares for an attempt to rebound in another rematch on Saturday, this time against Joanna J?drzejczyk, Zhang is in a position to secure another chance at regaining her place on the throne after just one win.
That opportunity has been granted to her after Namajunas was unseated by Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in what many have branded the worst title fight in modern UFC history.
Now, as she looks to capitalize on the opening granted to her by “Thug Rose,” Zhang has discussed what went wrong for her former opponent in Arizona. According to the Chinese star, Namajunas had the completely wrong attitude when the cage door closed.
“I feel like, definitely Rose was feeling a lot of pressure when she stepped into the Octagon,” said Zhang during her appearance at UFC 275 media day. “Definitely she wanted to take care of her belt and didn’t want to fight hard, wanted to fight more strategically and easily against Carla.
“But, as a champion, as an MMA fighter, you should not think about that. You should always, in the fight, (put) your everything into the Octagon, and fight your heart out. I don’t think Rose should fight with an attitude like (she did),” concluded Zhang.
While the Chinese contender has shared the cage with the likes of Namajunas, Tecia Torres, and Jéssica Andrade during her time in the UFC, she is yet to go toe-to-toe with newly-crowned strawweight queen Esparza. Should she leave Singapore with a second victory over J?drzejczyk this weekend, it stands to reason that will change.
From there, “Magnum” will target a second reign with the gold, which would likely lead to a third date with Namajunas down the line should the American rebound from her disappointing defeat at UFC 274.
Do you agree with Zhang Weili? Did Rose Namajunas fight with the wrong attitude at UFC 275?
On March 7, 2020, Joanna J?drzejczyk and Zhang Weili gave birth to a classic that will live eternally, despite being assigned a gender. When fans think of the greatest fights in MMA history, some fights that come to mind are those sewn with brawn and blood, scraps like Jones vs. Gustafsson, McGregor vs. Diaz II,…
On March 7, 2020, Joanna J?drzejczyk and Zhang Weili gave birth to a classic that will live eternally, despite being assigned a gender.
When fans think of the greatest fights in MMA history, some fights that come to mind are those sewn with brawn and blood, scraps like Jones vs. Gustafsson, McGregor vs. Diaz II, Lawler vs. MacDonald II, etc. Very rarely do you hear the names of women voiced into the discussion.
If ever there was a time for such a conversation to flow naturally, it was at the conclusion of Joanna J?drzejczyk’s and Zhang Weili’s frenetic exchanges at UFC 248. Those two 115-pound women earned a seat with the giants at the “Best Fights in MMA History Table.”
In fact, if you ask your humble narrator, they aren’t sitting alongside them but are rather placed at the head of the table.
That’s right, approximately eight years after women were granted entry into a 20-year-old sport, two strawweights set the standard for epic fights. Indeed, J?drzejczyk vs. Zhang had all the boxes checked when it comes to MMA classics.
Title Fight –
Non-Stop Action –
Grit, Resolve, Toughness –
Coin-Flip Competitiveness –
Heart-Racing Drama –
Sometimes, the optics of blood can add to said drama, as it adds a tangible visual to the “heart, resolve, and toughness” box. Well, I’ll see your crimson mask and raise you a Rocky Dennis.
Copyright: 2020 Jeff Bottari
The fight had skill, technique, and was about as back-and-forth as a scrap could get. There was footwork, pocket trading, clinch battles, kicks, combos, and nonstop volleys in this war between proud soldiers of Poland and China. And at the end of the fight, with the crowd giving a well-earned standing ovation, there were two sentences that helped frame the narrative around this historic encounter:
Jon Anik: “Arguably the greatest fight in women’s mixed martial arts history, as predicted by the former champion, Joanna J?drzejczyk!”
Joe Rogan: “I think we can safely say that was the greatest title fight in women’s MMA history.”
The problem with those quotes is that it restricts and labels a display that was, in actuality, transcendent beyond its peers. And the “peers” aren’t just other female fights, but rather any all-time classic in the pantheon of MMA classics.
Anik and Rogan may be the initial reactors with the largest and most immediate platform to frame this epic encounter, but fans and pundits worldwide have often, if not predominately, boxed the bout in as a WMMA classic. But in reality, it was, as Daniel Cormier indicated multiple times throughout the contest, as good as any fight of all time, regardless of gender.
Jon Anik and Joe Rogan did not frame the fight as a WMMA classic maliciously, and they are not misogynists who can’t bring themselves to allow J?drzejczyk and Zhang a seat at the table with giants. Like others who have framed it as solely an WMMA classic after them, it is more than likely a subconscious categorization.
In fact, even our very own Harvey Leonard, who credits this fight for being the last straw that persuaded him to cover this sport, has admitted to unconsciously labeling it as arguably the best women’s mixed martial arts fight as opposed to arguably the best mixed martial arts fight of all time.
Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Why is that? We don’t label Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald II as one of the best welterweight fights of all time or Gaethje vs. Chandler as one of the best lightweight fights of all time.
Sure, those claims would be true, non-demeaning, and both are honorable distinctions. But instead, they are given full, unrestricted praise for the gender- and label-free classics that they are. And if Joanna J?drzejczyk and Zhang Weili didn’t earn that same respect on the night of March 7, 2020, in front of that spellbound crowd, then that means all women are barred from the table.
And there is one other box that this all-time classic checked off: the “historic context” box.
This classic was on the final card held in front of a full crowd before the COVID-19 pandemic gave way to closed-arena shows. Given the lackluster main event that night between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero, it’s fair to say that it was Joanna J?drzejczyk and Zhang Weili who gave new meaning to the expression, “sent the crowd home happy.”
That crowd inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as well as the worldwide audience would be home for over a year with this fight branded in their memories. And it’s memories like these that Joanna J?drzejczyk was insistent on creating, or not creating art at all.
Now that live crowds are back, so, too, is the Boogeywoman, prepared to once again shock spectators with the gore and glory of an epic, life-altering MMA fight when she re-enters the Octagon for another battle with Zhang Weili this Saturday at UFC 275.
Will they be able to outdo in three rounds what they were able to create in a full-five round championship fight? Nearly impossible. But as of March 7, 2020, neither have anything to prove when it comes to all-time MMA classics.
Because even the greatest, most celebrated giants of MMA history must bend the knee to the two queens who stand shoulder to shoulder with the kings.
The highly anticipated rematch between former strawweight champions Joanna J?drzejczyk and Zhang Weili will have high stakes. J?drzejczyk and Weili will compete in a featured bout on the UFC 275 main card in Singapore this Saturday. The two former 115lb champions will square off in a rematch two years in the making after their instant…
The highly anticipated rematch between former strawweight champions Joanna J?drzejczyk and Zhang Weili will have high stakes.
J?drzejczyk and Weili will compete in a featured bout on the UFC 275 main card in Singapore this Saturday. The two former 115lb champions will square off in a rematch two years in the making after their instant classic went to Weili via a split decision at UFC 248.
Both J?drzejczyk and Weili are looking to earn another shot at the strawweight throne against Carla Esparza, and they’ll get the opportunity to compete for it at UFC 275.
“This would definitely be that whoever wins this will definitely fight Esparza for the title,” White said. (h/t BJ Penn)
Esparza earned the title over Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 via a split decision. After the fight was anything but fan-friendly, White hinted that fight fans aren’t clamoring for those two fighters to run it back for a third time.
J?drzejczyk defeated Esparza for the strawweight title back at UFC 185. She would go on to defend the title five times before suffering back-to-back losses to Namajunas.
Weili has also lost two fights to Namajunas but has yet to fight Esparza during her UFC career. She earned the title over then-champion Jéssica Andrade back in Aug. 2019 before successfully defending her title against J?drzejczyk.
While the J?drzejczyk/Weili rematch won’t be five rounds and won’t be for a title, it’ll have the feel of one with what’s on the line for both women.
How do you think Joanna J?drzejczyk, Zhang Weili match up with Carla Esparza?
Former undisputed UFC strawweight champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk is approaching her UFC 275 rematch with fellow former titleholder, Zhang Weili this weekend with the mindset of a surgeon – predicting a “medical procedure” type technical showing. Jedrzejczyk, the second strawweight champion in the history of the organization, co-headlined UFC 248 back in March of 2020 against […]
Former undisputed UFC strawweight champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk is approaching her UFC 275 rematch with fellow former titleholder, Zhang Weili this weekend with the mindset of a surgeon – predicting a “medical procedure” type technical showing.
Jedrzejczyk, the second strawweight champion in the history of the organization, co-headlined UFC 248 back in March of 2020 against then-champion, Weili, suffering a split decision loss in the consensus greatest strawweight fight of all-time and the 2020 Fight of the Year.
Scheduled to return for the first time following her two-year hiatus, Jedrzejczyk, who was removed from the official strawweight rankings due to inactivity in November of last year, will attempt to inflict Chinese standout, Weili’s third consecutive loss – after the former champion dropped her title to common-foe, Rose Namajunas, and then suffered defeat in a November immediate rematch.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk plans to make a brisk start in her rematch against Zhang Weili
Attempting to earn a title rematch with recently-minted undisputed champion, Carla Esparza with a victory over Weili in the pair’s Singapore re-run, Jedrzejczyk has the mindset of a surgeon approaching the UFC 275 clash.
“It’s going to be a medical procedure,” Joanna Jedrzejczyk told MMA Junkie reporter, MIke Bohn. “I’m going to be the best surgeon and I will pick the right tools and use them at the right time. Sharp.”
“I just have to put the gas pedal down and be first, violent, but smart from the first seconds of the fight,” Joanna Jedrzejczyk explained. “There is no time to be wasted in this fight, so we have to play my game from the first seconds of the fight.”
Without a victory since a UFC Fight Night Tampa main event success against Michelle Waterson, Jedrzejczyk managed to land a unanimous decision triumph at the October 2019 headliner.
Winning the title against Esparza in March 2015, Jedrzejczyk defeated the Torrance veteran with a blistering knockout, before defending the title opposite Jessica Penne, Valerie Letourneau, Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and Jessica Andrade.
Former undisputed UFC strawweight champion, Zhang Weili has criticized the performance of two-time opponent, Rose Namajunas during her UFC 274 title loss against Carla Esparza last month in Pheonix, Arizona – claiming the former only intended to “take care” of her title rather than putting in a performance which would retain it. Weili, a two-time […]
Former undisputed UFC strawweight champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk is approaching her UFC 275 rematch with fellow former titleholder, Zhang Weili this weekend with the mindset of a surgeon – predicting a “medical procedure” type technical showing. Jedrzejczyk, the second strawweight champion in the history of the organization, co-headlined UFC 248 back in March of 2020 against […]