Weili Zhang praises Joanna Jedrzejczyk, eyes title fight vs. Carla Esparza

Weili Zhang left no doubt in her second meeting with Joanna Jedrzejczyk, finishing her Polish rival with a spinning back fist in the second round of their UFC 275 encounter.

It was a far cry from their first bout, when the two strawweights engaged in what many have called the greatest female fight of all-time at UFC 248 in March 2020. Zhang, who was the 115-pound champion at the time, emerged from that battle with a narrow split-decision triumph. 

Jedrzejczyk announced her retirement in the cage following the knockout loss to Zhang on Saturday night in Singapore, ending an era in the division. Zhang had nothing but praise for the Polish star in the aftermath of that decision.

“Before I became a UFC fighter, Joanna was the champion,” Zhang said at the UFC 275 post-fight press conference. “She is like a role model. I want to chase her [accomplishments] every day …”

Not only was Zhang’s latest triumph a strong contender for “Knockout of the Year,” it also sets her up for a future showdown with current strawweight queen Carla Esparza. Zhang already has a location in mind for that fight.

“I want [to] fight with Carla in Abu Dhabi because I know there’s a fight there in October,” Zhang said. “I think Carla is a special fighter, too, and I know that can be a really good fight. Also, for me and for her – not China or the U.S. So we can fight in another country, so it’s fair for both of us.”

While Esparza’s recent win over Rose Namajunas wasn’t the most thrilling of performances, Zhang is well aware of the challenges the new champion presents.

“I think there’s no weak fighter in the top rankings,” Zhang said. “So if I’m fighting Carla, I need to improve my grappling, my BJJ, my wrestling. There’s nothing I need to specially care for. I just need to improve myself. MMA is over all sports, so I don’t think we can have any disadvantage, so I want to be a well rounded fighter.”