Tag: Weili Zhang

UFC 312 gets two title fights in Sydney – including a rematch

The UFC’s return to Australia in February will be top-heavy with a pair of title fights.

The UFC’s return to Australia in February will be top-heavy with a pair of title fights.

Middleweight champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) wanted a title defense against Khamzat Chimaev, but instead it will be a rematch against former champ [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC), whom he beat to win the title earlier this year.

In addition, women’s strawweight titleholder [autotag]Weili Zhang[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) will take on challenger [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) – who went from a fight against Virna Jandiroba at UFC 310 that was scrapped to a title shot.

UFC officials announced the bouts during Saturday’s UFC 310 pay-per-view broadcast. UFC 312 takes place Feb. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

Du Plessis, from South Africa, took a split decision from Strickland in a Fight of the Night winner at UFC 297 in January in Toronto. In Australia in August, he submitted former champ Israel Adesanya in the fourh round of a big grudge match.

Many thought he’d get Chimaev for his next defense, but Strickland retained the title shot he was promised after a split call win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June.

Zhang, a two-time champion, won the belt back a little more than two years ago against Carla Esparza. She defended it with a decision win over Amanda Lemos in August 2023, then one over fellow Chinese fighter Yan Xiaonan in April.

Suarez, the Season 23 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” has been perfect in her career so far. She has back-to-back submission wins over Montana De La Rosa (at flyweight) and former champ Jessica Andrade, both of which were good for $50,000 bonuses. Those wins came in 2023 after a layoff of nearly four years. She was set to fight Jandiroba at UFC 310 this week, but withdrew.

The latest UFC 312 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland – for middleweight title
  • Champ Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez – for women’s strawweight title
  • Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio
  • Anshul Jubli vs. Quillan Salkilld
  • Stewart Nicoll vs. Rei Tsuruya

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.

Spinning Back Clique: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington, UFC 273 title-fight fallout, more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Matthew Wells, Mike Bohn and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] is considering a return to the lightweight division if a bout with Max Holloway isn’t next or another contender doesn’t emerge following his UFC 273 title defense over Chan Sung Jung. How would he fare against the top names at 155 pounds?
  • [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] unified the UFC bantamweight title with a controversial split-decision win over [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] at UFC 273. Who was the rightful winner of the bout, and how should each man proceed with their careers from here?
  • [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] was tested against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, but emerged with a unanimous decision win. UFC president Dana White wants a matchup with Colby Covington next, but did the performance show it would be better for “The Wolf” to get more experience before fighting another top-three opponent?
  • [autotag]Weili Zhang[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joanna Jędrzejczyk[/autotag] 2 is booked for June 11 at UFC 275. Can we accurately frame this as a No. 1 contender fight? What are the stakes here?
  • Bellator 277 takes place Friday with title fights featuring [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] 2 and [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag]. Can the winner of those bouts claim top ranking at featherweight and light heavyweight, regardless of promotion?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

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UFC 261 video: Weili Zhang, Rose Namajunas make weight for strawweight title bout

Watch Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas step on the scale to make their UFC 261 strawweight title fight official.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The highly anticipated strawweight title fight between [autotag]Weili Zhang[/autotag] and [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] at UFC 261 is official.

Current champ Zhang (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and former titleholder Namajunas (9-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) both successfully made weight on Friday morning, and now the stage is set.

Zhang weighed in first between the duo, coming in at 114.5 pounds. Namajunas weighed in after her at 114.5 pounds.

The fight will mark Zhang’s second attempted title defense after she beat Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the 2020 “Fight of the Year.” Namajunas, meanwhile, will try to regain the belt she lost in May 2019.

Zhang and Namajunas will face off one last time on Friday night at the UFC 261 ceremonial weigh-ins, then they’ll battle for the belt Saturday at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

UFC 261’s main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pec151zpPwE

UFC 248: Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero Preview, Fight Card, Live Stream, How to Watch

UFC Stream: Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero — live stream UFC 248

UFC 248 features not one but two main events for your viewing pleasure. Israel Adesanya will look to defend his middleweight belt against Yoel Romero while Weili Zhang will put her women’s strawweight belt on the line against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The best way to watch the UFC stream is on ESPN+.

Adesanya is the hot newcomer in the middleweight division, beating big names like Anderson Silva, Kelvin Gastelum and Robert Whittaker in his last three fights. Adesanya has won a Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night bonus in six of his seven fights in the UFC, meaning we’re likely in line for another great performance tonight.

Romero is no slouch though and will test Adesanya’s wrestling and chin. The former Olympic medalist in freestyle wrestling has beaten big names like Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman, Ronaldo Souza and Lyoto Machida and has won via TKO or KO in seven of his 12 fights in the UFC.

You can watch the UFC fight tonight live on ESPN+. Sign up now for UFC 248 as well as exclusive UFC content like live Fight Nights.

How to watch UFC 248: Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero

Main event: Israel Adesanya (18-0) vs. Yoel Romero (13-4)

Co-main event: Weili Zhang (20-1) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-3)

When: Saturday, Mar. 7, 10:00 p.m. ET

Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV

UFC stream:

UFC live stream: Watch the UFC fight tonight on ESPN+.

UFC 248 Main Card (10 p.m. ET)

  • Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero – Middleweight (Title bout)
  • Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk – Women’s Strawweight (Title bout)
  • Beneil Dariush vs. Drakkar Klose – Lightweight
  • Neil Magny vs. Li Jingliang – Welterweight
  • Alex Oliveira vs. Max Griffin – Welterweight

UFC 248 Prelims (8 p.m. ET – ESPN)

  • Sean O’Malley Jose Quinonez – Bantamweight
  • Mark Madsen vs. Austin Hubbard – Lightweight
  • Rodolfo Vieira vs. Saparbeg Safarov – Middleweight
  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Deron Winn – Middleweight

UFC 248 Early Prelims (7 p.m. ET – UFC Fight Pass)

  • Giga Chikadze vs. Jamall Emmers – Featherweight
  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Guido Cannetti – Bantamweight

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MMA Junkie Radio #3032: UFC 248 preview with Nolan King and Danny Segura

MMA Junkie Radio hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” are joined by MMA Junkie’s Nolan King and Danny Segura to preview UFC 248 in Las Vegas.

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Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On Episode No. 3,032 of the podcast, the guys are joined by MMA Junkie reporters Nolan King and Danny Segura, who are in Las Vegas to cover UFC 248. They react to the latest MMA news and notes, as well as preview the two huge title fights taking place this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

THE RUNDOWN

  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] and [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] are set to headline the UFC’s debut event in Kazakhstan, which is a pivotal fight to the bantamweight title picture. With champ Henry Cejudo defending his title against Jose Aldo at UFC 250, that leaves Aljamain Sterling as the odd man out. Was Moraes-Yan the right fight to make, and is all of this fair?
  • [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] is in the works to headline UFC San Diego in May. The guys react to that matchup and wonder if that could mean we’re moving toward [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag].
  • Two titles are on the line at UFC 248, with [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] defending is middleweight belt vs. [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], while [autotag]Weili Zhang[/autotag] will make her first strawweight title defense against ex-champ [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag]. We preview these two huge main events.
  • [autotag]Josh Barnett[/autotag]’s Bellator debut is on hold once again as he’s out of next week’s Bellator 241 show after failing a “medical requirement.” Matt Mitrione will step in to fight Ronny Markes. We offer some thoughts on this situation.

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

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UFC 248 referees, judges set for Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero, Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Two title fights set for UFC 248 now have their respective officiating teams.

Two title fights set for UFC 248 now have their respective officiating teams.

The Nevada Athletic Commission, which will regulate UFC 248 next month, announced the referees and judges for the card’s main and co-main events during a monthly meeting Wednesday.

Dan Miragliotta will referee the fight between UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag]. The judges will be Sal D’Amato, Chris Lee and Ron McCarthy.

For the co-main event between UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Weili Zhang[/autotag] and [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag], referee Keith Peterson will be on assignment, with Mike Bell, Derek Cleary and Eric Colon serving as judges.

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UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Both Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Zhang (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will look to remain undefeated in the UFC.

The UFC 248 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero – for middleweight title
  • Champ Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk – for strawweight title
  • Li Jingliang vs. Neil Magny
  • Sean O’Malley vs. Jose Quinonez
  • Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Guido Cannetti
  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Deron Winn
  • Polyana Viana vs. Emily Whitmire
  • Jamall Emmers vs. Movsar Evloev

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)

  • Saparbek Safarov vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Austin Hubbard vs. Mark Madsen
  • Beneil Dariush vs. Drakkar Klose
  • Max Griffin vs. Alex Oliveira

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