Dana White confirms Weili Zhang's next opponent

Weili Zhang last fought at UFC 248, where she defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk in what was widely regarded as the greatest women's MMA fight of all time. It went the full distance and the judges gave the nod to the Chinese Champion Weili Zhang, who did just about enough to edge out the greatest Strawweight of all time.

Looking ahead, it appears as though the direction for Weili Zhang is a fight against Rose Namajunas - presumably at the end of the year. Speaking in a post-fight press conference, Dana White confirmed that Weili Zhang vs Rose Namajunas is the fight that the UFC is working on (MMA Mania):

“That’s the fight we want to make,” he added, speaking about Namajunas. “So we’re working on it.”

It's most likely set to take place at Fight Island, as Dana White had mentioned earlier that he was targeting three major title fights on Fight Island. The first of those will be happening at UFC 253 in a Middleweight title clash, the second the month after as Khabib Nurmagomedov has his second title defense, and the third later in the year.

When would be a good time to book Weili Zhang vs Rose Namajunas

Weili Zhang vs Rose Namajunas would most likely take place in December at UFC 256 if it happens this year at all. Rose Namajunas got back her victory over Jessica Andrade at UFC 251 in a three-round classic. The last time Rose Namajunas fought for the title was in Brazil when Andrade defeated her to become the Strawweight Champion.

The division has had a shake-up since then and Weili Zhang will be looking to establish herself as the next long-term Champion of the division - similar to the dominance that Joanna Jedrzejczyk held for a few years before losing to Rose Namajunas.

Published 14 Sep 2020, 05:13 IST