Zhang Weili's coach reveals possible timeline of UFC Strawweight title defense against Rose Namajunas
Speaking to MMA Fighting, reigning UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili’s BJJ coach, Pedro Jordao, shed light on the possible timeline of her title defense against Rose Namajunas.
Jordao revealed that Weili is likely to defend her UFC Women’s Strawweight title against Namajunas in the first quarter of the 2021 calendar year.
Zhang Weili last competed in March of this year, successfully defending her title against former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk via split decision.
Meanwhile, Rose Namajunas’ most recent fight was a split decision victory over former UFC Women’s Strawweight champion Jessica Andrade in July of this year.
Rose Namajunas had lost her title to Andrade last year, but avenged her loss with the aforesaid split decision victory this year. The consensus in the MMA world is that Namajunas is likely to receive the next opportunity to fight for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Title that’s currently held by Zhang Weili.
Zhang Weili’s coach addresses the potential Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas matchup
Pedro Jordao, the BJJ coach of the UFC Women’s Strawweight division’s current Champion Zhang Weili, addressed her next title defense. Jordao stated –
“We’ll see how things go with this virus…But I think (the fight) will probably be in the first quarter. … We’re training for a while here. It appears that her next fight will be against Rose, but nothing is set yet. Everything indicates that’s the plan — and it makes sense, everybody knows that.”
Additionally, Jordao noted that Namajunas is yet another tough opponent whom Zhang Weili will face inside the Octagon.
Pedro Jordao believes that as compared to Weili’s previous opponents, Namajunas is more technical, calmer, and is very talented. He added that it’s time to put that to the test.
Jordao opined that Namajunas is probably training very hard, but he believes that she’s a good stylistic matchup for Zhang Weili. Jordao continued that he trusts the Strawweight Champion and believes that she will indeed be able to beat Namajunas.
Furthermore, Jordao highlighted that Zhang Weili has successfully executed takedowns against every opponent she’s faced in UFC, except Jessica Andrade.
Jordao also pointed out that Weili is always honing her BJJ skills and is a considerably well-rounded MMA fighter. Jordao praised the Champion's striking/standup skills as well as her grappling/ground skills, and reiterated that she isn’t afraid of fighting on the ground.
As of this writing, UFC is yet to officially announce the strawweight title fight between reigning titleholder Zhang Weili and challenger Rose Namajunas.
Fans can expect official details regarding the same to unravel in the days to come.