The UFC is working on a strawweight title fight between reigning champion Weili Zhang and the division’s former champion, Rose Namajunas, per the promotion’s president Dana White.
White was asked what’s next for Zhang at the conclusion of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 10 card, which was headlined by a clash of ranked strawweights in Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill.
He revealed, as many suspected, that Namajunas will likely get the next crack at the champion.
“We’re working on that right now,” White said when asked what’s on the menu for Zhang (via MMA Mania).
“That’s the fight we want to make,” he added, speaking about Namajunas. “So we’re working on it.”
Weili Zhang has not fought since March, when she made her first defense of the UFC strawweight title with a thrilling and razor-close decision victory over the division’s longest reigning champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. In her next most recent fight, she captured the strawweight title with a blowout, TKO victory over Jessica Andrade.
Rose Namajunas, on the other hand, last fought at UFC 251 in July, when she took on Andrade for a second-straight time, winning by split decision. In her next most recent outing, she surrendered the title to Andrade when she was knocked out by a brutal slam from the Brazilian.
At present, it’s not clear when this targeted Zhang vs. Namajunas fight will end up happening, as Zhang is in China and Namajunas in the US, and international travel is quite difficult during the coronavirus pandemic.
Whenever it ends up happening, all signs point to an excellent fight.
“I mean, I would think [that’s next]. We haven’t really talked about it yet, but that’s definitely the plan,” Namajunas said after her UFC 251 over Andrade, discussing a fight with Zhang. “That was kind of the plan going into it. I just have to get this nose fixed first. I don’t know what the recovery time is or whatever.
“I just think it’s gonna be a beautiful display of martial arts. She’s a master; I’m a master. It’s gonna be really cool,” she added, praising Zhang. “I would love to fight her. She’s awesome. She’s really technical, really strong, just overall a master. That’s something that really interests me a lot.”
Who do you think will come out on top in a potential title fight between Weili Zhang and Rose Namajunas?