Carla Esparza unfazed by the power Zhang Weili possesses
UFC women's strawweight champion Carla Esparza has admitted to feeling like 'Rocky' as she heads into her UFC 281 bout against Zhang Weili as the betting underdog.
Esparza has been on the finest run of her career so far, which includes her capturing the strawweight title from Rose Namajunas back in May. Although their title fight left a lot to be desired, the split-decision victory for the 35-year-old meant that she is now riding high on a six-fight winning run.
Her opponent, Zhang Weili, is considered one of the hardest hitters in the division. Weili is the first Chinese fighter to become a UFC champion and holds notable wins over Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade. The 33-year-old heads into UFC 281 off the back of a stunning spinning backfist KO over 'JJ'.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, 'Cookie Monster' explained what it is like heading into a title defense as the underdog:
"The message I plan to give her, I plan to give her in the cage. I just saw an interview where she was like, 'I'm gonna crush her with wrestling, on the ground with my strength'... Honestly I feel a little bit like Rocky going into this fight when he fought Drago. You've got this big strong versus the little one with a lot of heart. Whatever, I'm going in there to do my thing and I'm excited."
Catch the full interview with Carla Esparza here:
Joanna Jedrzejczyk explains why Carla Esparza was booed at UFC 281 press conference
Joanna Jedrzejczyk has weighed in on why Carla Esparza took the brunt of the fans' booing during UFC 281's press conference this week. The 35-year-old was jeered whenever she tried to answer questions from journalists.
Although Esparza's bout with Rose Namajunas wasn't the barnburner fans had hoped for, many would have expected the American champion to have received support in her home country. According to Jedrzejczyk, it could be because 'Cookie Monster' hasn't focused on the limelight since becoming champion.
'JJ' has defended Esparza and believes she should be treated with more respect. Speaking to the UFC 281 press, the former strawweight champion stated:
"She's the champion. She deserves the respect, you know? And all the attention. But it's not just about being the best athlete, it's also about your character. If people see charisma in you or not, you know."
She added:
"If I were to become the strawweight champion for the second time, I would go bigger. I would double the amount of my followers, money, contracts and everything. It looks like for Carla Esparza, it's enough and that's okay. We have to respect that. She's the champ. "
Catch the full interview here: