Weili Zhang News
Jessica Andrade expects to earn a rematch with Zhang Weili if she wins at UFC Vegas 69: "I want to take her out to Brazil because I went to China to face her"
Cole Shelton - February 16, 2023
Jessica Andrade is hoping to earn a strawweight title shot on Saturday. Andrade has been bouncing between strawweight and flyweight and will compete at 125lbs in the main event of UFC Vegas 69 as she steps up on short notice to take on Erin Blanchfield. Andrade is coming off a decision win over Lauren Murphy and should she get past Blanchfield, she could get a title shot at flyweight, but she believes this fight can also secure her a rematch against Weili for the strawweight belt.
UFC champion Weili Zhang reveals plans for a future clash with fellow titleholder Valentina Shevchenko: "Eventually we will run into each other"
Josh Evanoff - December 5, 2022
UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang believes she’ll meet Valentina Shevchenko in the octagon. ‘Magnum’ is fresh off her title bid against Carla Esparza last month at UFC 281. In that outing, Zhang became a two-time women’s strawweight champion, defeating ‘Cookie Monster’ by submission. The Chinese fighter was also given a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus for her victory.
Weili Zhang was surprised that fight fans booed “poor” Carla Esparza at UFC 281 in New York: “I don’t know why. Maybe more fans like my fight style”
Harry Kettle - November 22, 2022
Weili Zhang has admitted that she was surprised to hear fans booing Carla Esparza during their showdown at UFC 281. Earlier this month at UFC 281, Weili Zhang regained the UFC strawweight championship. After a competitive first round, the Chinese sensation submitted Carla Esparza to become a two-time champ.
Weili Zhang gets shout for next UFC opponent from Mark Zuckerberg
Andrew Whitelaw - November 16, 2022
Mark Zuckerberg has been getting more involved in Mixed Martial Arts in recent months. The Meta CEO went viral in September when he posted a video of his MMA training alongside Bellator veteran Khai Wu. ‘Zuck’ escalated his interest in the sport when he rented out the APEX Arena for a small group of his friends to watch UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan. Having Witnessed Yan bag the unanimous decision on the night, Zuckerberg reached out to her countrywoman Weili Zhang this week following her title win at UFC 281.
Pros react after Weili Zhang subs Carla Esparza at UFC 281
Chris Taylor - November 12, 2022
Tonight’s UFC 281 event was co-headlined by a women’s strawweight title fight featuring Carla Esparza taking on Weili Zhang. Esparza (19-7 MMA) had recaptured the 115lbs title at May’s UFC 274 event, scoring a split-decision win over Rose Namajunas. That victory served as ‘The Cookie Monster’s’ sixth in a row, a streak which included wins over Yan Xiaonan, Marina Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson and Alexa Grasso.
UFC 281 Results: Weili Zhang stops Carla Esparza in Round 2 (Video)
Chris Taylor - November 12, 2022
Tonight’s UFC 281 event is co-headlined by a women’s strawweight title fight featuring Carla Esparza taking on Weili Zhang. Esparza (19-7 MMA) recaptured the 115lbs title at May’s UFC 274 event, scoring a split-decision win over Rose Namajunas. That victory served as ‘The Cookie Monster’s’ sixth in a row, a streak which has seen her defeat the likes of Yan Xiaonan, Marina Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson and Alexa Grasso.
UFC 281: 'Adesanya vs. Pereira' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - November 12, 2022
The Octagon returns to New York for tonight’s UFC 281 event, a fourteen-bout fight card headlined by Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira. Adesanya (23-1 MMA) and Pereira (6-1 MMA) of course have a history, with ‘Poatan’ having defeated ‘Stylebender’ on two occasions in the Glory kickboxing ring.
UFC 281 | Pro fighters make their picks for Carla Esparza vs. Zhang Weili title fight
Cole Shelton - November 10, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 281, the strawweight title is on the line as Carla Esparza looks to defend her belt for the first time as she takes on Zhang Weili. Heading into the fight, Esparza is a +285 underdog while the challenger is a massive -400 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros expect Weili to reclaim her strawweight title and even some expect her to finish Esparza.
Watch | Weili Zhang shows incredible strength by lifting UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou
Josh Evanoff - November 3, 2022
Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang looks ready to earn back her gold. ‘Magnum’ has been out of action since her rematch with Joanna Jędrzejczyk in June. Their first outing two years prior was one of the greatest women’s MMA fights of all time. Zhang won that first bout by split decision, but wouldn’t need the judges in the second.
Kamaru Usman on the possibility of Weili Zhang defeating Carla Esparza at UFC 281: “That would be sad to watch”
Susan Cox - September 20, 2022
Kamaru Usman is speaking about the possibility of Weili Zhang defeating Carla Esparza at UFC 281. It will be Carla Esparza (19-6 MMA) vs Weili Zhang (22-3 MMA) in the strawweight co-main event at UFC 281 on Saturday November 12, 2022 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Weili Zhang prepared to fight fearlessly against Carla Esparaza at UFC 281: "I don't care about win or lose anymore"
Josh Evanoff - August 30, 2022
UFC women’s strawweight contender Weili Zhang is prepared for her fight with Carla Esparza. ‘Magnum’ has been out of action since June. At UFC 275, Zhang faced Joanna Jędrzejczyk in a rematch of their famous brawl in March 2020. In that outing, the Chinese fighter won by split decision after five rounds of pure chaos.
Fight fans react after Carla Esparza books first title defense opposite Weili Zhang: “Well, that reign didn’t last long”
Harry Kettle - August 19, 2022
Fight fans have reacted to the news that Carla Esparza will defend the UFC strawweight championship against Weili Zhang. Ever since her controversial win over Rose Namajunas earlier this year, fans have been wondering what the next step is going to be for Carla Esparza. The veteran, who was the first ever champion in the weight class, is a legend in the strawweight division and is now a two-time champ as a result of her second triumph against ‘Thug Rose’.
Mackenzie Dern interested in interim title fight with Weili Zhang: "That would be a great fight"
Josh Evanoff - June 24, 2022
If Carla Esparza isn’t interested in fighting Weili Zhang, Mackenzie Dern would love to. ‘Magnum’ is fresh off a victory over Joanna Jędrzejczyk earlier this month at UFC 275. Following the knockout win, Zhang called for a fight with the champion later this year. While Dana White confirmed that he will make the fight, Esparza later said the challenger will go on her timeline.
Daniel Cormier gives take on Carla Esparza vs. Weili Zhang: "She might be the biggest challenger favorite ever"
Josh Evanoff - June 15, 2022
Daniel Cormier believes that UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza will be a massive underdog to Weili Zhang. ‘Cookie Monster’ re-captured the UFC’s strawweight title following a win over Rose Namajunas last month. The win saw her move her win-streak to six, and become champion for the first time since 2015. However, her win over ‘Thug Rose’ was also blasted as one of the worst fights in UFC history.
Carla Esparza rejects the idea of fighting Weili Zhang at UFC 281: “She needs to go on my timeline”
Susan Cox - June 14, 2022
Carla Esparza is rejecting the idea of fighting Weili Zhang at UFC 281. UFC 281 is scheduled for Saturday October 22nd at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk shares her prediction for Carla Esparza vs. Weili Zhang
Harry Kettle - June 13, 2022
Joanna Jedrzejczyk has given her thoughts on what will happen when Weili Zhang challenges Carla Esparza for the UFC strawweight title. Last Saturday night at UFC 275, Joanna Jedrzejczyk retired from mixed martial arts following her knockout defeat at the hands of Weili Zhang. The two put on a thoroughly entertaining rematch in Singapore and while Jedrzejczyk had a few nice moments, the evening belonged to Zhang as a spinning back fist was enough to put a definitive end to their rivalry.
UFC 275 Bonus Report: Seven different fighters take home $50k
Chris Taylor - June 11, 2022
The Octagon returned to Singapore for tonight’s UFC 275 event, a twelve-bout fight card headlined by Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Procházka. The highly anticipated light heavyweight title fight resulted in what many fans and analysts are calling the “fight of the year”. Teixeira and Procházka went to absolute war for the better part of twenty-five minutes tonight at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Glover Teixeira found most of his success on the ground but also rocked Jiri Prochazka on multiple occasions in the standup. Not to be outdone, Jiri also landed a number of hard combinations and knees on the Brazilian veteran. After four rounds of action it appeared that Glover Teixeira was just five minutes away from hearing “and STILL”. However, despite having dominant positions in the final five minutes, Teixeira eventually gave up his back and Jiri forced him to tap with a choke.
Pros react after Weili Zhang KO's Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 275
Chris Taylor - June 11, 2022
Tonight’s UFC 275 event featured a highly anticipated women’s strawweight rematch between Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-5 MMA) and Weili Zhang (22-3 MMA). The pair had first met back at UFC 248 in March of 2020, with Zhang emerging victorious by way of split-decision in a thrilling “Fight of the Year” performance.