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.
At UFC 275, the women’s strawweight title eliminator was one-way traffic. After dominating Jędrzejczyk on the ground, Zhang secured a devastating second-round knockout. With that, the Chinese fighter had stamped her ticket back to a title fight.
Weili Zhang is currently set to challenge Carla Esparza at UFC 281 later this month. ‘Cookie Monster’ famously captured the title with a split-decision win over Rose Namajunas in May. The bout moved Esparza to 2-0 in her series with ‘Thug Rose’.
The pay-per-view event is set to take place at the famed Madison Square Garden venue in New York. For Zhang, the fight with Esparza allows her to avenge her previous defeat in the arena. She was previously defeated by Namajunas in their rematch in New York last year by a split decision.
For her second go-around in New York, Weili Zhang is determined to have a different result. On Twitter, fans got a glimpse into the challenger’s mindset heading into her title fight later this month. It seems that Zhang is in excellent shape, according to UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
‘The Predator’ is currently out of action due to knee injuries. However, he decided to head to Zhang’s gym for training. When he was there, he got an unexpected test of strength from Zhang, who lifted him in there.
I can’t believe that @zhangweilimma just picked me up like I wasn’t 293lbs 😳
I didn’t want her to do it I was scared of her hurting her back and was trying to explain this to her….then found myself suddenly up in the air.
Her strength ratio is through the roof 📈 pic.twitter.com/smhsP9H91u
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 3, 2022
Weili Zhang is already a heavy favorite for her fight with Carla Esparza later this month. With the release of this video, one would have to assume the odds will only widen.
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This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
