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Zhang Weili Becomes China's First Champion | Breaking Barriers
Look Back At When Zhang Weili Captured Strawweight Gold For The First Time.
Zhang Weili wasn’t viewed as a can’t-miss prospect or automatic title contender when she first arrived in the UFC in the summer of 2018.
The Chinese strawweight touched down in the Octagon at UFC 227 to face off with Danielle Taylor riding a 16-fight winning streak, but very few of her vanquished opponents were very familiar names. The fact that all but one of those victories came inside the distance stood out, but again, the ever-present question of whether “Magnum” was dispatching everyone swiftly because she was that good or simply considerably better than her overmatched foes lingered over her debut.
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Taylor was 2-2 in the UFC and a perfect introductory opponent for the intriguing new arrival; an established litmus test for a fighter whose place in the division and ceiling as a competitor was undefined. She beat Taylor, showcasing many of the strengths that would become signature pieces of her game, while making few mistakes customary of a UFC debutant, but even then, Zhang wasn’t viewed as a championship threat on the rise.
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Consecutive wins over Jessica Aguilar and Tecia Torres certainly showed that Zhang was capable of competing with the elite class. While Aguilar was a respected veteran in the twilight of her career, Torres had been a fixture in the Top 10 since landing in the UFC following her time on Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter and sported a 10-3 record heading into the contest.
Zhang won the fight handily, and when Jessica Andrade upset Rose Namajunas to claim the strawweight title two months later at UFC 237, it created an opportunity for the then 29-year-old Zhang to fight for championship gold.
The event took place in Shenzen, China, marking the first time the UFC had ventured to the city and the sixth time the promotion had held an event in the Asian nation. It also coincided with the opening of the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai and signaled what would be the beginning of a wave of talent from China beginning to matriculate to the biggest stage in the sport.
At the time, there were a handful of fighters from China that had been competing inside the Octagon — welterweights Li Jingliang and Song Kenan, bantamweight Wu Yanan, and fellow strawweight Yan Xiaonan — but no one had managed to break into title contention. Li established himself as a Top 15 fighter in the treacherous 170-pound weight class, but stumbled when presented with the opportunity to ascend into the upper echelon, and now here was Zhang, in her fourth UFC appearance, fighting on home soil for championship gold against a decorated standout, and she made sure to make the most of it.
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The champion Andrade came out as she typically does, looking to walk Zhang down, and the challenger responded by landing a series of low kicks to the inside of the Brazilian’s lead leg. On a dime, the bout shifted into a brawl, with Andrade looking to land power hooks in the pocket, only to get countered by a stinging right from Zhang that instantly put her on shaky footing.
Andrade looked to clinch out of desperation and Zhang unloaded on her, battering the dazed titleholder with elbows and knees to the midsection before chasing her across the cage with heavy hands, felling the champion along the fence and forcing the stoppage.
Zhang Weili Journey To UFC Champion
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Zhang Weili Journey To UFC Champion
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The whole thing lasted just 42 seconds, but produced a moment that will live forever in the annuls of MMA history.
Go back and listen to the sound of the crowd as the early exchange heats up and Zhang begins taking over.
Scan the crowd as she scales the fence in victory.
See the excitement, the elation in the eyes of the people in the audience as champion stood in the center of the Octagon, having the belt wrapped around her waist.
We hear all the time about people that never knew they could achieve a certain goal, reach a certain point in life until they saw someone that looked like them do it first.
This was that moment for Chinese fighters, and for Chinese MMA fans. In less than a minute, Zhang turned becoming a UFC champion from a dream to a reality, and it was abundantly clear what it meant to not only her, but everyone else witnessing the historic event, as well.
In her post-fight interview, the newly crowned champion spoke about her promise to become the first fighter from China to capture UFC gold and the pride she felt for having achieved her dream, and you could see the emotions wash over her before she offered one quick message in English:
“My name is Zhang Weili. I’m from China. Remember me!”
Currently in the midst of her second championship reign and having been part of a pair of all-time great battles, there is no way anyone will ever forget Zhang or the impact she has made in the UFC.
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