Zhang Weili defeats Joanna Jedrzejczyk in an unforgettable fight for the ages
Fans may just have witnessed the greatest fight in UFC women’s history as Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk left everything they had in the octagon.
The co-main event at UFC 248 ended up stealing the show. While there was so much focus on the middleweight title bout between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero, an instant classic unfolded before that. Newly crowned, Chinese champion Zhang Weili made her first title defence against former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a bout with tension interlaced into it. Ahead of the bout, there had been some controversial and heated exchanges between the two, setting the stage for an intense fight.
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The two took little time feeling each other out, as they began exchanging directly. The fight began at an intense pace, with Jedrzejczyk landing many leg kicks but also getting countered by Zhang. While Poland’s Jedrzejczyk landed many shots, Zhang seemingly landed the harder strikes. The momentum swung back and forth repeatedly, with both fighters landing shots in the explosive exchanges. The fight stayed even, but a hematoma forming on Jedrzejczyk’s forehead following a hard strike from Zhang. The two continued to exchange until the end of the fight, with most watchers split in regards to who won.
At the end the judges scored the bout (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) as a split decision win for Zhang.
“We are all martial artists here,” Weili said through an interpreter in her post-fight interview. “We want to set an example for the kids. Thank you everyone.”
Jedrzejczyk was graceful in defeat, but this fight was too spectacular for anyone to be seen as a loser. Fans around the world were the real winners, and there are good chances we will we see these two warriors meet once again.
