Zhang Weili, the UFC strawweight champ, would welcome Zhang Weili’s return to his division.
China’s leading star in mixed martial arts has arrived at a crossroads after falling short in her bid to become flyweight queen at UFC 322 last Saturday.
Weili, who failed to win one round in any of the three scorecards, was easily defeated by Valentina Shchenko at the Madison Square Garden’s co-main event.
Many expected a closer fight in the superfight that was highly anticipated between two of the greatest fighters ever, including the woman who succeeded Weili at 115 pounds.
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Mackenzie Dern shocked by Zhang Weili’s lopsided defeat to Valentina Shevchenko
Mackenzie Dern, who had beaten Virna Jadiroba in UFC 321 and replaced Weili as strawweight champion after Weili vacated her title to chase further glory at 125 lbs.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist reacted to her predecessor’s performance on November 15 during a recent interview with The Schmo.
Dern expressed shock at the one-sided nature of Shevchenko’s successful title defense in New York City.
“No, I was picking Weili,”Dern’s response when asked if she thought the UFC 322 Co-Main Event played out according to her expectations.
“I think the size was there. I don’t know. I feel like Weili can do good (at flyweight). I don’t know if it was just (because it was) the first try. I don’t know.
“I thought that she would do better,”She continued. “But I guess (styles) make fights.”
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Mackenzie Dern is ‘ready’ to defend her title against Zhang Weili in 2026
It’s unclear what Zhang Weili will decide to do next after having her two-division ambitions spoiled emphatically by the flyweight GOAT.
Many expect the Chinese star will return to the strawweight division to add to his history and become a three-time champion.
If…
2025-11-21 22:00:00
