Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggests Weili Zhang fight fellow UFC champion next for champ-champ status
Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg thinks that Weili Zhang is ready to challenge for a second UFC title.
Zhang recaptured the UFC women's strawweight belt after submitting Carla Esparza in the co-main event of UFC 281. The Chinese superstar posted a photo of herself with her teammates on Instagram after her momentous win.
Check out Weili Zhang's post below:
Zuckerberg, who is a noted MMA enthusiast, hopped on the comments section of Zhang's post to suggest her next opponent. According to the tech billionaire, 'Magnum' should move up to flyweight to contend for Valentina Shevchenko's belt.
Zuckerberg commented on the two-time strawweight champ's post with:
"Congrats! I'd love to see you fight Valentina for a second belt..."
Check out Mark Zuckerberg's comment below:
Zhang dominated Esparza before finishing her with a rear-naked choke in the second round. The win improved her overall professional record to 23-3 and solidified Zhang's status as China's premier UFC fighter.
However, Zhang has never expressed her desire to capture a second UFC title. On top of that, there are several women's flyweight contenders who have made solid cases to challenge Shevchenko.
Taila Santos is still in the running after pushing 'Bullet' to the brink of defeat at UFC 275 in June. Manon Fiorot and Alexa Grasso also secured victories earlier this year to put themselves on the shortlist of Shevchenko's potential challengers.
Weili Zhang targets UFC title defense in China for 2023
After reclaiming the UFC women's strawweight championship, Weili Zhang revealed that she intends to defend her crown in her home country of China.
During the event's post-fight presser, Zhang was asked if she was hopeful that the UFC would come back to China to host a future title defense. In response, the newly-crown queen of the strawweights said:
"If we can do it, if the UFC can do it, I hope I can defend my title next year in China. A billion Chinese MMA fans, they are looking for a big pay-per-view event in China."
Catch Weili Zhang's comments below:
Zhang’s first title win came against Jessica Andrade in Shenzhen, China, in August 2019. However, the UFC hasn't returned to the country since.
Then again, the promotion started booking pay-per-view shows abroad fairly recently after COVID-19 restrictions loosened up worldwide. UFC 283 will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while UFC 284 is set to take place in Perth, Australia.