"Everyday he's teaching me something about wrestling" - Zhang Weili on training with Henry Cejudo
Zhang Weili has spoken about the positive impact that training with Henry Cejudo has had on her regarding the wrestling portion of her mixed martial arts game.
Earlier this year, we saw Zhang Weili lose her UFC strawweight title to Rose Namajunas thanks to a devastating head kick from the two-time champion. Ever since then, fans have been wondering whether or not the Chinese star would get an immediate rematch, and just a few weeks ago, it was officially confirmed that Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili 2 would go down at UFC 268 in Madison Square Garden.
In terms of what the challenger is doing to try and round out her game, it turns out Henry Cejudo is playing a role in her camp - which the former champ is enjoying. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Weili said:
“Henry will have a baby very soon. We would certainly love to have him in our corner but we understand that maybe he will be having a baby at that time. Henry has been my coach through the whole process. Every day he’s teaching me something about wrestling, all kinds of wrestling and ground and pound.”
Watch Zhang Weili's appearance on The MMA Hour below:
How will Zhang Weili approach the rematch?
It’s been well-documented that Zhang Weili is an incredibly precise striker, and while we didn’t get to see much of that in the initial fight against Rose, her performances in the bouts with Jessica Andrade and Joanna Jędrzejczyk spoke volumes about her ability.
Now, however, she appears to be focusing more of her attention on the wrestling side of things courtesy of former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo.
Namajunas has also demonstrated the kind of striking that can cause anyone in her division problems, setting this up as quite the showdown between two women who have plenty of tools.
This time around, Zhang Weili seems to be even more prepared and focused with her eyes set on reclaiming the gold from 'Thug Rose' when the cage door shuts behind them on November 6 at the world's most famous arena.
Look your doors , hide your thugs and give us all the roses 🌹 because Weili 2.0 is coming! 🇨🇳 #andnew https://t.co/phzAcrksLK