Zhang Weili wants to defend the UFC Strawweight Championship against Rose Namajunas
UFC Strawweight Champion, Zhang Weili is currently enjoying her first title reign in the promotion. The Chinese fighter defeated Jessica Andrade at UFC on ESPN+15 via first-round knockout and captured the UFC Strawweight Title in an emphatic victory.
In an interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Zhang stated that for her next title defense, the reigning UFC Strawweight Champion is willing to put her title on the line against former champion Rose Namajunas.
Zhang Weili wants to defend the UFC Strawweight Championship against Rose Namajunas
Having won the UFC Strawweight Championship last year, Zhang Weili marked the first defense of her newly won title at UFC 248 when she defeated former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk via split decision, in a fight that was widelly-regared as one of the best women's fights' of all time.
Weili is now looking forward to her next defense of the UFC Strawweight Championship, as the Chinese fighter told Ariel Helwani that she wants to step into the Octagon against another former champ, in the form of Rose Namajunas.
The reigning UFC Strawweight Champion believes that Namajunas is currently the "most-skilled martial artist" in the UFC's Strawweight Division, with the exception of the champion herself.
Here is what Zhang Weili said:
Could we expect a title fight between Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas?
Zhang Weili could very well end up defending the UFC Strawweight Championship next against Rose Namajunas. The reigning UFC Strawweight Champion last competed in March 2020 and could very well step back into the Octagon by the end of the year once again.
As for Namajunas, the former champion was last seen in Octagon action at UFC 237 when she lost the UFC Strawweight Title to Jessica Andrade in Brazil. 'Thug Rose' was set to make her return to the Octagon at UFC 249, as she was scheduled for a rematch against Andrade, however, the former decided to pull-out due to her manager citing a pair of family deaths related to COVID-19.