Tag: Zhang Weili

Zhang Weili No Longer Feels Friendly Towards “Fake” Rose Namajunas

Former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili has slammed “fake” Rose Namajunas for her pre-UFC 261 comments, claiming she doesn’t feel “friendly” towards her rival anymore.

Before entering the Octagon with Namajunas in April, Zhang hadn’t ta…

Zhang Weili, Rose Namajunas

Former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili has slammed “fake” Rose Namajunas for her pre-UFC 261 comments, claiming she doesn’t feel “friendly” towards her rival anymore.

Before entering the Octagon with Namajunas in April, Zhang hadn’t tasted defeat since her professional mixed martial arts debut in 2013. After 21 consecutive victories, “Magnum” found herself at the top of the UFC’s 115-pound mountain and with a successful defense under her belt.

After dethroning Jéssica Andrade in front of her home crowd in Shenzhen, China, Zhang retained her belt in a five-round Fight of the Year war against former champ Joanna J?drzejczyk. After a memorable first defense, Zhang hoped to emerge victorious again in front of the first UFC crowd in over a year. But inside the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, the 32-year-old was knocked out by Namajunas.

Now over six months later, Zhang has her chance for redemption. In the UFC 268 co-main event, she’ll enter the cage with Namajunas for the second time. This time, she has no intention of exchanging pleasantries with the champion.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVx4eFclT2S/

Zhang Believes Namajunas Crossed The Line

A sizable chunk of the narrative heading into their UFC 261 clash was Rose Namajunas’ comments about Zhang Weili’s home country. Ahead of the fight, “Magnum” suggested she was keen on developing a friendship with the then-challenger after they threw hands (via the South China Morning Post). Any chance of that happening appeared to be dampened after Namajunas compared her fight with Zhang to a fight against communism, using the term “better dead than red.”

Having previously responded by describing her opponent’s comments as “a joke,” Zhang has once again condemned Namajunas. According to the #1-ranked strawweight, the champ made those remarks in order to stir up hatred towards “Magnum” from the fans. With that in mind, Zhang has no plans on a friendly embrace with her rival this weekend.

“I was bothered by what she had said,” Zhang told Yahoo! Sports. “The political comments Rose made got the audience not to support me. It was beyond [fair play]. It crossed a line. I don’t feel as friendly toward Rose as a fellow mixed martial artist as I did before. I have a lot more training and I have had a lot more focus on myself.”

Discussing the differences between her feuds with J?drzejczyk and Namajunas, Zhang suggested the Polish star was the opposite of “Thug Rose,” who she described as “fake.” Nevertheless, Zhang believes her disdain towards her upcoming opponent will only provide her more motivation heading into UFC 268.

“Joanna is very direct and blunt, but Rose is more fake and not very direct,” Zhang said. “Joanna is direct as could be, and I knew what I was dealing with. But Rose had a different way and it crossed a line. But it’s got me motivated.”

With Namajunas’ victory at UFC 261, she became the first woman in UFC history to regain a belt after previously losing it. Looking to follow in the champ’s footsteps, Zhang is confident she’ll have the gold wrapped around her waist again come November 6.

“It will show the spirit I have to overcome problems and find a way to be successful,” she said. “I am confident I will do it. Rose lost the belt and then regained it, and I feel I can do that, too.”

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 268, Zhang Weili or Rose Namajunas?

Continue Reading Zhang Weili No Longer Feels Friendly Towards “Fake” Rose Namajunas at MMA News.

J?drzejczyk: Zhang Fight Showed I Deserve More From The UFC

Former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna J?drzejczyk has revealed that her most recent fight was the first time in her career that she’s felt underpaid by the promotion.

J?drzejczyk, who achieved 115-pound title glory with a victory over Carl…

UFC 248: Zhang vs. J?drzejczyk, Joanna J?drzejczyk

Former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna J?drzejczyk has revealed that her most recent fight was the first time in her career that she’s felt underpaid by the promotion.

J?drzejczyk, who achieved 115-pound title glory with a victory over Carla Esparza in 2015, hasn’t been in action since her blockbuster clash with Zhang last March. In the UFC 248 co-main event, the pair put on one of the greatest fights in UFC history. Their back-and-forth affair ended in a split decision win for the champion, but J?drzejczyk’s immense challenge certainly didn’t go unnoticed.

Despite the incredible fight, which many believe she did enough to win, the defeat meant the polish star has lost four of her last six fights. Prior to her first setback in the sport against current strawweight queen Rose Namajunas, J?drzejczyk had defended her title a record five times.

Whilst her form since 2017 looks poor on paper, two defeats to “Thug Rose” and a decision loss to dominant flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko did little to harm her stock, and her clash with “Magnum” in 2020 had a more positive effect on her reputation than negative.

J?drzejczyk Reveals There’s Big Money On The Table Elsewhere

Despite the fanfare and plaudits surrounding her five-round war with Zhang, J?drzejczyk has revealed the fight opened her eyes to a not so thrilling aspect of the sport.

Having previously cited Kevin Holland as proof that the fighter pay debate is flawed, UFC President Dana White recently made use of Joanna J?drzejczyk’s spending, suggesting her Instagram account displays how “very rich” she is. However, the 34-year-old has seemingly contradicted White’s claims.

During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, J?drzejczyk revealed her barnburner with Zhang made her feel undervalued for the first time in her career. Now, in her eyes, she deserves a bigger slice of the promotion’s fairly monstrous and lucrative cake.

When asked if the bout left her feeling underpaid, the veteran admitted it did. She further revealed that whilst she can’t see herself competing under the banners of any other promotions, there are sizeable sums of money on the table away from the UFC.

“Yes, I did. For the first time, yeah. For the first time in my life. For the first time in my life. And you were there. You saw so many people with Polish flags cheering for me. ‘She’s the champ,’ people were cheering for me. And I feel like I deserve bigger piece of cake. And I don’t see myself fighting out of the UFC, but there are people who are interested in having me, putting big money on the table. But yeah, it’s big.”

When asked whether she’ll avoid returning to the Octagon before being offered better remuneration, J?drzejczyk suggested she can’t afford to wait.

“Somehow I will have to. And maybe it’s bad for the next negotiations, but, yeah, sooner or later, I will get what I really deserve.”

The Pole went on to say she’s targeting March or April 2022 as the date for her next Octagon outing, with the hopes of discussing an improved deal with the UFC shortly after. She ultimately suggested the addition of PPV points to her contract would resolve any negative feeling she currently holds towards her pay.

Do you think brutal wars like Zhang vs. J?drzejczyk show that UFC fighters don’t get paid enough?

Continue Reading J?drzejczyk: Zhang Fight Showed I Deserve More From The UFC at MMA News.

Namajunas Would Still Befriend Weili, But ‘I Kicked Her In The Face’

Rose Namajunas believes that kicking someone in the face should not stop you from being friends with them. “Thug” Rose Namajunas is set to have a rematch with Zhang Weili, after taking the title from the then-champ earlier this year, becoming the first female fighter in UFC history to regain a belt that she lost. […]

Continue Reading Namajunas Would Still Befriend Weili, But ‘I Kicked Her In The Face’ at MMA News.

Rose Namajunas believes that kicking someone in the face should not stop you from being friends with them.

“Thug” Rose Namajunas is set to have a rematch with Zhang Weili, after taking the title from the then-champ earlier this year, becoming the first female fighter in UFC history to regain a belt that she lost. Prior to that first meeting, the Chinese champion had some nice things to say about the American, stating that she could even see the two of them being friends.

Speaking on The MMA Hour prior to their rematch at UFC 268, Namajunas said that she would still be down to have a friendly relationship with Weili. That being said, she does question whether or not this is something Weili would want, considering their last encounter ended with a head kick.

“I don’t know what to think of her. She said she wanted to be friends, so I’m still waiting for a proper introduction. Like, ‘Hello! How’s it going?’ But obviously, I kicked her in the face so she doesn’t want to be friends no more. So I don’t know.”

There are certainly other factors that could contribute to there not being a friendship between Namajunas and Weili, aside from their first fight’s outcome. This is not to say that there is bad blood between the two per se, but Namajunas certainly got some pushback for her controversial comments regarding the state of Communism in China, ahead of their first bout.

Nevertheless, Rose Namajunas will have a rematch with Zhang Weili at UFC 268, on November 6th, in the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden. It will be interesting to see if these two form a friendly relationship by the end of this fight.

Continue Reading Namajunas Would Still Befriend Weili, But ‘I Kicked Her In The Face’ at MMA News.

Zhang Weili Believes Rose Namajunas ‘Crossed The Line’ With Communism Comments

Zhang WeiliZhang Weili has been reflecting on the build-up to her first fight with Rose Namajunas ahead of the strawweight duo’s eagerly-anticipated rematch on November 5 at UFC 268. In the lead-up, to UFC 261 Lithuanian-American Namajunas used the anti-communist phrase “better dead than red” when discussing Zhang who hails from China.  During a recent appearance […]

Zhang Weili

Zhang Weili has been reflecting on the build-up to her first fight with Rose Namajunas ahead of the strawweight duo’s eagerly-anticipated rematch on November 5 at UFC 268.

In the lead-up, to UFC 261 Lithuanian-American Namajunas used the anti-communist phrase “better dead than red” when discussing Zhang who hails from China. 

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Zhang admitted that Namajunas’ anti-communist rhetoric had a profound impact on her and the crowd in attendance at UFC 261 back in April.

“I think it definitely affected me a little bit,” Zhang told Ariel Helwani. “The comments that Rose made, I think she was successful in making the audience boo me. But I think that’s my own problem because I should be concentrating on the fight and not the audience. I can’t control who the audience likes. So I’m becoming more focused on my own fight.”

“In my mind, I think that, yes, those comments crossed the line because I think all the audience, all the fighters, we all come together in the UFC because we all share the passion of the MMA sport,” Zhang continued. “In my mind, I’m coming here because I want to make friends because we all have the common love of martial arts. I think it’s not a good thing to mix sport with politics, but I think that’s maybe her plan. So in the beginning, I thought it was just kind of trash talk. It really didn’t affect me. But when I went out in the stadium and got booed, I think Rose wanted to use those comments to make the audience boo me.”

Zhang insists she will not be fazed by the crowd at UFC 268 next month.

“I have been to New York City once, but I’ve never been to Madison Square Garden,” Weili said. “I’m very much looking forward to the fight, and I’m also expecting there will be some Chinese audience that will want to go to cheer me. But I also adjusted my mentality. Even if the audience boos me, I will just think they like me.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Do you agree with Zhang Weili? Did Rose Namajunas cross the line with her anti-communist comments?

Namajunas Says UFC 261 Kick “One Of 10 Ways” She Could Finish Zhang

UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas has suggested the head kick she used to knock Zhang Weili out at UFC 261 was just “one of 10 ways” she could finish “Magnum.” In front of the first sold-out crowd at a UFC event in well over a year, Namajunas became the first woman in UFC history […]

Continue Reading Namajunas Says UFC 261 Kick “One Of 10 Ways” She Could Finish Zhang at MMA News.

UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas has suggested the head kick she used to knock Zhang Weili out at UFC 261 was just “one of 10 ways” she could finish “Magnum.”

In front of the first sold-out crowd at a UFC event in well over a year, Namajunas became the first woman in UFC history to reclaim a title after losing it. “Thug Rose” had previously won and defended the title against Joanna J?drzejczyk. She lost the 155-pound gold in 2019 after being on the receiving end of a brutal slam against Jéssica Andrade.

Having exacted revenge on the newly-beltless Brazilian at UFC 251 on Fight Island, Namajunas booked her spot against the high-flying champion Zhang. In the April pay-per-view’s co-main event, the 29-year-old provided one of the most memorable moments in UFC history, knocking the Chinese star out with a vicious left head kick. In achieving victory, Namajunas handed Zhang her first loss in the promotion and ended her remarkable 21-fight win streak.

Now set to run it back with her third opponent in a row, Namajunas is confident of getting the better of Zhang for the second time this year. The pair are set to collide again at UFC 268 next month.

In an interview with The Schmo ahead of the first title defense of her second reign, “Thug Rose” acknowledged the challenge she’ll be facing come November 6. However, in her mind, if she performs to her best ability, she is the best at 115 pounds.

“I’m highly confident in this fight. Knowing what’s ahead of me, I have a big task ahead of me. But I think there’s a lot of stuff that’s working in my favor. I think sometimes I take that and I spin it the other way around and I go, ‘Alright, so I gotta make sure that I’m really on top of my game because it’s easy to be sleepy.’ As long as I’m doing my best, I am the best.”

Assessing what tools she may use in her rematch against “Magnum,” Namajunas revealed she’ll be using another kick-heavy attack. Despite suggesting she could look to finish Zhang in the same way she did at UFC 261, the Wisconsin-native claimed the head kick is just one of many ways she envisions herself being able to stop the former champ.

“Well it worked [the head kick]. We can always test that out [again]. I’m always going to be throwing those kicks now. That’s my original martial arts… that’s what I started in is Taekwondo. I’ll definitely be doing that and a lot more. That was just, kind of, one of 10 ways that I see myself finishing her.”

Despite the red-hot form of the inaugural strawweight queen Carla Esparza, who has built a five-fight win streak that includes victories over Yan Xiaonan, one half of this weekend’s main event Marina Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson, and Alexa Grasso, Zhang has had her wish for an immediate rematch with Namajunas granted. Her chance for redemption will be the first of two blockbuster championship rematches set to go down inside Madison Square Garden.

In the main event, UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman will revisit his rivalry with Colby Covington. Having already beaten “Chaos” at UFC 245 in 2019, “The Nigerian Nightmare” will look to repeat the feat on November 6.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 268, Rose Namajunas or Zhang Weili?

Continue Reading Namajunas Says UFC 261 Kick “One Of 10 Ways” She Could Finish Zhang at MMA News.

Henry Cejudo And Zhang Weili Put Rose Namajunas On Notice

Former flyweight champion Henry Cejudo is helping out another former UFC champion, Zhang Weili. Henry Cejudo has many accomplishments on his resume. He was an Olympic wrestling gold medalist, he was a UFC duel division champion, now he can add a coach to his list of accolades. Cejudo was seen recently training with former UFC […]

Continue Reading Henry Cejudo And Zhang Weili Put Rose Namajunas On Notice at MMA News.

Former flyweight champion Henry Cejudo is helping out another former UFC champion, Zhang Weili.

Henry Cejudo has many accomplishments on his resume. He was an Olympic wrestling gold medalist, he was a UFC duel division champion, now he can add a coach to his list of accolades. Cejudo was seen recently training with former UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili as she prepares for her title fight rematch with Rose Namajunas at UFC 268 in November.

The two of them posted a photo together on Cejudo’s Instagram with a warning to Namajunas. You can find the photo below.

“Lock your doors, hide your thugs and give us all the roses ? because Weili 2.0 is coming! #andnew,” Cejudo wrote.

Weili lost her title to Namajunas back in April at UFC 261. Namajunas handed Weili her first-ever knockout and her first loss in eight years. Recruiting the help of Cejudo and his high-level wrestling skills will only benefit Weili against the dangerous Namajunas.

Weili isn’t the only former champ that Cejudo is lending his services to now that he is retired. He is also helping out his predecessor, Deiveson Figueiredo. Figueiredo will be looking to get his belt back when he faces off against Brandon Moreno in their trilogy fight.

Not to be outdone by his pupils, Cejudo continues to tease a comeback and would like to see featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the Octagon. Cejudo has also expressed interest in fighting TJ Dillashaw and Aljamain Sterling. These may be empty threats at this time, but many MMA fighters have made it a trend to return from retirement in the past.

Continue Reading Henry Cejudo And Zhang Weili Put Rose Namajunas On Notice at MMA News.