On Saturday night, UFC fans were treated to one of the greatest mixed martial arts bout of all time. Without question, the co-main event will one day be in the UFC Hall of Fame.
UFC 248’s co-main event featured Weili Zhang defending her Strawweight belt against the division’s most decorated fighter, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The two women fought their hearts out for 25 minutes, in what will go down as one of the greatest fights of all time.
In the weeks leading up to this card, many people envisioned the co-main event as being a barnburner of a fight. Unbelievably, Weili and Joanna delivered a fight that actually exceeded the massive hype.
Weili Zhang was awarded the victory via split decision, but there were no losers in this contest. In her first title defense, Weili proved to the world that she has the toughness and cardio required to be a successful UFC champion. Prior to Saturday night, Weili had never fought past the third round. Remarkably, she looked incredible in the championship rounds and never took her foot off the pedal.
In the post-fight press conference, Dana White praised Weili’s cardio.
He said “Her cardio was unbelievable…that was her first time fighting in the championship rounds, and she looked damn good in those rounds.”
Conversely, Joanna Jedrzejczyk left the octagon with some of the most gruesome damage anyone has had to endure. Yet, there was not one second that she wavered or folded during her quest to regain her belt. Joanna verified that her chin can hold up against the power of Weili and that her striking has not taken a noticeable step back from when she was Strawweight champion.
In the post-fight press conference, Dana White commended the way Joanna continues to fight at a championship level.
He stated “She comes to fight…she’s incredibly talented…she comes to win, she comes to hurt you, she comes to bust you up and she’s one of the baddest to ever do it.”
Statistically, Joanna out-struck the champ 186 to 165 in terms of significant strikes. However, as the two women waited anxiously after the fight to hear Bruce Buffer call their name, it was Joanna who wore more of the damage.
Weili Zhang is now on a ridiculous 21 fight win streak and Dana White confirmed that they will do everything they can to make her into an international star. Meanwhile, Joanna is clearly still worthy of high-profile fights and another chance to regain her strawweight belt which has eluded her now for a couple years.
For now, the two warriors will take time to recover from what was a fight that will always be remembered in the world of combat sports.
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
