The UFC have thrown a curveball with news emerging that they are looking to make Jessica Andrade’s first strawweight title defense against Weili Zhang at UFC Fight Night 157 (aka UFC On ESPN+ 15) in China on August 31st.
it’s a somewhat surprising decision given that Zhang is only ranked No.6 in the division, and the likes of Rose Namajunas, Tatiana Suarez and Joanna Jedrzejczyk reside above her on the ladder.
On the other hand, obviously the fact that Zhang is Chinese will be a big selling point or that market, and most importantly, she has an impressive record of 18-1 overall, with her only loss coming in her debut fight back in 2013, making her undefeated in almost six years.
The 29-year-old has already racked up three wins in a row since joining the promotion in the summer of last year, defeating Danielle Taylor, Jessica Aguilar and most recently Tecia Torres before being fast-tracked to a title shot.
As for Andrade, she has won 7 of her last 8 UFC fights and is currently on a four-fight winning streak that’s seen her defeat a whose who of the division.
The run started with decision wins over Claudia Gadelha and Tecia Torres, while she’s since gone on to KO Karolina Kowalkiewicz in half a round and then most recently won the title with a knockout slam victory over Rose Namajunas.
