On Saturday, June 11th, the MMA world will watch as former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk attempts to begin her push for a title bout in a rematch of the UFC 248 that some went on to call the fight of the year against fellow former titleholder, Zhang Weili at UFC 275.
Before we get too far, let’s take a look back at how they got here:
Weili, who reigned for two years, obtained the title from Jessica Andrade at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang. Eventually, returning it to the hands of two-time champion and Andrade’s predecessor, Rose Namajunas, who we’ll come back to later, at UFC 268. Jedrzejczyk, on the other hand, also maintained the title for two years between 2015 and 2017. Taking it from the current champ and the woman both fighters are vying for a fight with, Carla Esparza and putting up five successful defenses before a KO/TKO at UFC 217 ended her tenure.
On paper, Zhang seemingly has less to prove than Jedrzejczyk; however, with a two-loss streak (both of which were title fights), Weili is on a mission to re-establish her spot in the octagon.
“Nothing is forever the same, like how I went from champion to challenger. And my future goal is to go from a challenger to a champion.”
Zhang Weili (People Magazine China)
And although everyone goes into a fight with something to lose, the stakes are incredibly high. Both fighters are trying to regain dominance in the ranks and the minds of the viewers.
“When people look at my picture after my first fight with Weili Zhang, they’re like, ‘Again, you’re going to get your a** beat up.’ I’m like, ‘Dude; I think you’re missing something. Did you watch the fight?’ I notice very often they do not watch the fight and they don’t know much about the sport. They see this loss in your record, and they think you’re the loser. You are never the loser in this sport.”
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (MMA Mania)
While Zhang was attempting to overcome Namajunas, Jedrzejczyk (who also lost her title to Namajunas way back at UFC 217) was busy solidifying her return after three failed attempts at reclaiming the belt. The most recent being the 248 bout against Zhang herself. And although between these attempts, she did add two wins to her 16-4-0 record (Tecia Torres at Alverez vs. Poirier 2 and Michelle Waterson at Joanna vs. Waterson), with the amount of time between fights, it’s difficult to pinpoint precisely where Joanna is. And what to expect when she steps back into the octagon with the intention to step away from her distinction as a striker into a more complete and multifaceted role.
Even still, it is bound to be a close fight. And if the facts aren’t enough, their first bout is a painful visual of just how intense this match-up is, ending in a split decision win that is still debated to this day. With even Joanna stepping in to defend Weili’s victory, telling MMA Mania’s Drake Riggs:
“Some of the people, they don’t win the belt, but they put on a hell of a fight with the champions. They go back and forth… But sometimes you just don’t make it because you have to do a little bit more to beat the champ. And I think Weili Zhang was meant to be the champ and that time when she won the belt from Andrade, she was the right person, in the right spot, and the right timing to do it. And she did that. She’s still here at the top. Of course, we had a very close fight; she lost via knockout to Rose Namajunas, but the second fight was so close, and she’s proving that she’s right there at the top.”
Weili, like usual, has been on the quieter side as the fight inches closer. Still, all eyes are on her as MMA fans prepare for one of the more anticipated fights of the year. And with only three losses in her career (21-3-0), she has no plans to reach four.
But as Joanna said, “That’s the craziest thing about this sport. You don’t take second place. But if you make it, and especially when you put on fights like me and Weili, me and Rose’s second fight, or Rose-Weili, that’s a hell of a fight.” And regardless of who comes out on top, it is bound to be a must-watch and fantastic performance that both sides can be proud of.
But! Zhang vs. Joanna isn’t the only women’s bout on the main card of UFC 275. Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko will face off against Talia Santos in a title defense that you do not want to miss!
So tune in to UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka on June 11th. Follow me on Twitter @sportyspiccee.
And keep up with Beyond Women’s Sports for more articles on amazing women. And their sport and make sure to shop all things WNBA and Soccer merch here.
