Weili Zhang News

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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].

Cole Shelton - January 3, 2020

Joanna Jedrzejczyk believes she will dominate Weili Zhang at UFC 248 in March en route to reclaiming her strawweight title. Since losing the title in 2017 she beat Tecia Torres and then moved up in weight where she lost to Valentina Shevchenko in a fight for the flyweight title. Following the loss, she returned to strawweight in October to beat Michelle Waterson to earn the title shot.

Cole Shelton - December 30, 2019

Dana White believes current UFC strawweight champion, Weili Zhang can be one of the biggest stars in UFC history. Zhang had a massive 2019 where she dominated Tecia Torres at UFC 235 and then headlined a UFC event in her home country of China. There, she was taking on Jessica Andrade for the title. She ended up knocking out the Brazilian out in under a minute to become the UFC champ.

Adam Martin - December 19, 2019

The opening betting odds have been released for the upcoming title fight at UFC 248 between UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang and rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The UFC recently announced that Zhang will take on Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248, which is set for March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout is expected to serve as the co-main event of the card, with another title fight headlining the event.

Adam Martin - December 2, 2019

The UFC women’s strawweight title will be on the line when champion Weili Zhang takes on challenger Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248. The card is set to take place on March 7, 2020, though no location or venue has officially been decided on yet. There have been rumors that this event may take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a main event of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya taking on rival Yoel Romero.

Cole Shelton - November 25, 2019

Joanna Jedrzejczyk is expected to fight strawweight champion Weili Zhang in early 2020. When Jedrzejczyk fought Michelle Waterson at UFC Tampa, the expectation was that she would get a title shot with a win. She ended up earning a dominant decision win, so for American Top Team owner Dan Lambert and everyone at Jedrzejczyk’s training headquarters of American Top Team, it’s now just a question of when it happens. 

Harry Kettle - November 22, 2019

UFC Strawweight Champion Weili Zhang is confident that she’ll be able to get Joanna Jedrzejczyk out of there early if they wind up fighting for the title in 2020. Zhang is still riding a strong wave of momentum after capturing the title by defeating Jessica Andrade at UFC Shenzhen. It took her to 4-0 in the UFC and 20-1 overall, confirming her status as the first ever UFC champion to come from China.

Adam Martin - November 18, 2019

UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang says she is ready to defend her title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk and wants the UFC to book the fight immediately. Jedrzejczyk recently spoke to the South China Morning Post and said she is willing to fight Zhang anywhere — even in China.

Harry Kettle - November 15, 2019

UFC strawweight Joanna Jedrzejczyk is willing to do just about anything to get her hands on Strawweight Champion Weili Zhang. The Chinese champ is coming off the back of her sensational first round title win over Jessica Andrade which made her the first ever champion to stem from China. Ever since then there have been many questions raised as to who her first title defense will be against, with a series of names being suggested.

Cole Shelton - October 21, 2019

Weili Zhang has set her eyes on current UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko. Zhang is looking to become another champ-champ in the UFC after just winning the strawweight belt back in August. Why she wants to fight Shevchenko is simple. She wants to fight the best and she believes the 125-pound champion is just that. Yet, if that scrap can not come to fruition, she is fine taking on Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Harry Kettle - October 18, 2019

UFC Strawweight Champion Weili Zhang has ripped into the former queen of the division Joanna Jedrzejczyk ahead of a potential fight between the two. Zhang (20-1) is coming off the back of a memorable TKO victory over Jessica Andrade at UFC Shenzhen which served as her coronation as the first-ever Chinese champion in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Adam Martin - October 11, 2019

UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang has finally had her US visa approved, paving the way for her next fight to be in the United States. It was recently revealed that Zhang was having issued acquiring a US visa due to the recent conflicts in China. It looked like Zhang was going to have issues getting a visa, but according to Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com, that won’t be a hurdle any longer.

Harry Kettle - October 8, 2019

UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang has confirmed that her request for a visa to enter the United States has been rejected. Zhang (20-1) became the queen of the strawweights on August 31 when she defeated Jessica Andrade in just 42 seconds to become the first ever Chinese-born champion in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It was a monumental moment for the development of mixed martial arts in Asia, and it was seen by many as a turning point for Weili’s star power within the sport.