Zhang Weili reveals how she became close friends with former rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk despite facing her in arguably the greatest women's fight ever
Zhang Weili recently spoke openly about her connection with Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Weili claimed that despite their past animosity, she felt she could be friends with Jedrzejczyk because of the former champion's genuine personality.
Jedrzejczyk and numerous other UFC stars attended UFC 312 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, where Tatiana Suarez challenged Weili for the strawweight title in the co-main event. The Polish fighter greeted 'Magnum' in her dressing room prior to the title match and wished her success, saying:
You're the best, champ. You can do it. Be you."
Check out the post below:
Weili recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show after UFC 312, where the MMA journalist asked her about how she and the 37-year-old became friends after being rivals in the past. The Chinese fighter answered:
''As soon as my fight got confirmed, I texted [Joanna Jędrzejczyk] and said, 'Hey, would you come to Sydney and watch me fight?' And she came. The reason we got really close is because I feel that she's a really authentic and real person. I felt like, hey, we can become friends with this girl."
Check out Zhang Weili's comments below:
In their first meeting in 2020, Weili defended her strawweight title against Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 via split decision, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest female title fights in UFC history.
Thereafter, Weili knocked out Jedrzejczyk with a devastating spinning backfist at UFC 275 in 2022, which marked the latter's final octagon appearance as she announced her retirement from the sport.
Following her incredible career in the promotion, Jedrzejczyk was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.
Dana White hints at a possible Zhang Weili vs Valentina Shevchenko matchup
Zhang Weili's impressive title defense against Tatiana Suarez this past weekend at UFC 312 drew acclaim from the entire MMA community, including Dana White.
During the post-fight press conference, White professed his respect for Weili and hinted at a possible Weili vs Valentina Shevchenko showdown, saying:
''When you look at Weili, she’s one of the greatest of all time, the best female fighter in the sport right now...I love them both [Weili and Shevchenko], maybe we’ll just have to find out [who’s the greatest]. It’s a possibility. Whatever [Weili] asks me back there in the hallway, I’ll probably say yes.”
Check out Dana White's comments below: