Weili Zhang News
Weili Zhang finally headed back to China over a month after UFC 248
Adam D Martin - April 19, 2020
UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang is finally headed home to China after being stuck in the United States following UFC 248. Zhang fought rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk for five hard rounds in the co-main event of UFC 248 in an instant classic that is already regarded as one of the best fights in UFC history. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Zhang has been unable to travel back home to her native China and has stayed in Las Vegas for over a month since UFC 248 took place in nearly March.
Weili Zhang explains why she is in no rush to rematch Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Cole Shelton - March 27, 2020
Weili Zhang isn’t interested in running things back with Joanna Jedrzejczyk just yet. The two fought in the co-main event of UFC 248 where they put one of the greatest fights of all time. It was a back-and-forth affair that resulted in Zhang edging out a very narrow split decision win to defend her strawweight belt.
Weili Zhang receives supplies from Chinese fans during coronavirus lockdown in Las Vegas
Tom Taylor - March 24, 2020
UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang still hasn’t returned to her native China after her UFC 248 war with Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The champion elected to stay put in Las Vegas for up to a month, not only to avoid potential exposure to the coronavirus, but to simplify the stringent United States Anti-Doping Agency tests she’s subject to as a UFC champ.
Weili Zhang details emotional moment at hospital with Joanna Jedrzejczyk: 'She kept crying for hours'
Adam Martin - March 12, 2020
UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang shared details of an emotional moment she had with rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk at the hospital following UFC 248. Zhang and Jedrzejczyk went toe-to-toe for 25 minutes in the co-main event of UFC 248, producing a banger of a title fight that pundits immediately called an instant classic. Both women landed hundreds of strikes on each other’s faces and bodies in a bloody battle that is already being labeled one of the greatest MMA fights of all time.
UFC rankings update: Weili Zhang zips past Valentina Shevchenko on P4P list
Tom Taylor - March 11, 2020
The official UFC rankings have been updated after last Saturday’s UFC 248 card, and in a fairly surprising twist, not much has changed. That’s probably because UFC 248 featured precisely zero ranked fighters outside the main and co-main events. That being said, the updated UFC rankings do feature some interesting changes. Most notably, Weili Zhang has surpassed Valentina Shevchenko on the women’s pound-for-pound list on the strength of her UFC 248 defeat of Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Daniel Cormier has also finally been removed from the UFC light heavyweight rankings, clearing the path for a host of other light heavyweights to move up.
Why women's MMA is here to stay
Natasha Hooper - March 9, 2020
Women’s MMA is needed now more than ever before. At UFC 248, fans witnessed an all-out war from strawweight royalty Weili Zhang and Joanna Joanna Jędrzejczyk. The pair collided in an action-packed brawl that seemingly overshadowed the main event between Israel Adesanya vs Yoel Romero. Out of left field, MMA fighter Islam Makhachev disregarded the female athletes with a now-deleted tweet, “this is not a women’s sport” he stated. Even Dana White previously dismissed the idea of a women’s division in the UFC. The MMA anti-female rhetoric attracts criticism but nevertheless highlights an ongoing perception that females should not fight.
Valentina Shevchenko believes Weili Zhang loses her title in next fight
Cole Shelton - March 9, 2020
Valentina Shevchenko doubts Weili Zhang will be a UFC champion for much longer. In the co-main event of UFC 248, Zhang edged out a split-decision win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The win also served as her first title defense since winning the belt with a first-round knockout win over Jessica Andrade.
Dana White: Weili Zhang will get same push from UFC as McGregor, Rousey
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
Dana White is very high on UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang, who defended her belt in an absolute war with the former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the co-main event of last Saturday’s UFC 248 card. White gushed over Zhang at the UFC 248 post-fight press conference, announcing that the Chinese champion has become a major needle-mover in her homeland, a territory the UFC is working hard to break into.
John McCarthy gives his scorecard for Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Adam Martin - March 9, 2020
Tom Brady shares prediction for Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Adam Martin - March 5, 2020
NFL legend Tom Brady shared his prediction for the UFC 248 co-main event between UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Brady, the longtime quarterback of the New England Patriots and a six-time Super Bowl winner, is good friends with UFC president Dana White, who has season tickets for the Pats. Brady is in the final year of his contract with the Patriots and can become a free agent in two weeks’ time, and White has been trying to help lure him to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk believes Jessica Andrade wasn't 100 percent for Weili Zhang fight
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2020
Joanna Jedrzejczyk doesn’t think Jessica Andrade was completely healthy going into her title defense against Weili Zhang. Andrade was coming off a second-round knockout win over Rose Namajunas to win the strawweight title. In her first title defense at UFC Shenzhen, she had to go into enemy territory to battle Zhang who was just 3-0 in the UFC at the time.
Dana White discusses star power of Israel Adesanya, Weili Zhang
Tom Taylor - March 4, 2020
UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang and UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya come from different worlds, but the two fighters definitely have one notable thing in common: they both have the potential to become massive stars for the UFC. At least, that’s what Dana White thinks. White commented on Zhang and Adesanya’s potential superstardom ahead of UFC 248 in Las Vegas, where the former will defend her title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and the latter will defend his belt against Yoel Romero.
Weili Zhang still 'really angry' about Joanna Jedrzejczyk making fun of the coronavirus
Adam Martin - March 4, 2020
UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang admits she’s still irritated by Joanna Jedrzejczyk making fun of the coronavirus on social media. Jedrzejczyk made a joke about the coronavirus on her Instagram in January which ruffled the feathers of Zhang — not to mention those in the MMA community who felt like joking about the coronavirus was an error to do considering how many people around the world have died from the outbreak.
Rose Namajunas explains why she turned down title shot against Weili Zhang
Tom Taylor - March 3, 2020
Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas says she was offered a title shot opposite reigning champ Weili Zhang, but decided to turn down the opportunity. Namajunas opened up on this would-be title fight, and explained why she turned it down, on a recent episode of the UFC Unfiltered podcast. She says she simply wasn’t sure that she wanted to continue fighting at the time — which is a pretty good reason not to fight the division’s top fighter.
Weili Zhang details arduous three-week journey from China to US
Tom Taylor - February 27, 2020
UFC strawweight champ Weili Zhang has made it to the United States for her UFC 248 title defense against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, but the journey was not easy. Zhang’s homeland is still reeling from the headline-dominating novel coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed many lives and caused complicated travel restrictions worldwide. These restrictions made it extremely difficult for Zhang to make it to the US, and left her feeling like a “refugee.”
VIDEO | Weili Zhang trains with Muay Thai legend Saenchai
Tom Taylor - February 7, 2020
Amid the rampant spread of the headline-dominating Coronavirus, Chinese UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang has moved her training from her native China to Bangkok, Thailand. In Bangkok, Zhang crossed paths with an absolute legend in Saenchai, widely regarded as one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time — and certainly one of the flashiest.
Valentina Shevchenko says Weili Zhang became champ due to 'lucky circumstances', not interested in potential superfight
Cole Shelton - February 4, 2020
Valentina Shevchenko believes Weili Zhang doesn’t deserve the chance to fight her for the women’s flyweight championship. After Zhang beat Jessica Andrade at UFC Shenzhen back in August, she spoke about wanting to move up and fight Shevchenko. Yet, the flyweight champion says Zhang only became a UFC champ because of lucky circumstances.
Weili Zhang responds to Joanna Jedrzejczyk's joke about coronavirus
Adam Martin - January 29, 2020
UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang has responded to a joke that Joanna Jedrzejczyk made about the coronavirus outbreak in China. Jedrzejczyk posted an Instagram story earlier this week in which she shared a picture of herself and Zhang as the two are set to collide in March at UFC 248 for the women’s strawweight belt. But she included one extra thing in the picture, and that’s a gas mask. It’s clearly poking fun at Zhang for being Chinese, which is where the coronavirus is affecting thousands of people, and where numerous people have died from it.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk reveals previous relationship affected recent losses
Natasha Hooper - January 4, 2020
Joanna Jedrzejczyk will collide against the current strawweight champion, Weili Zhang in the main event of UFC 248 on Saturday March 7, 2020. During an episode of UFC Unfiltered, the Polish fighter reflected on her time as the 115-pound titleholder and her relationship turmoil that impacted her eventual loss. “Life of a single woman,” Jedrzejczyk laughed off as she described her current relationship status [transcript via MMA Fighting].