Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili are set to collide once more.
With the fight now official for UFC 268 on Nov. 6 in New York City at the world-famous Madison Square Garden, opening odds for the strawweight title rematch have been released.
BetMGM has Namajunas vs Zhang 2 currently dead even with each fighter at -115 odds. According to BestFightOdds, the biggest difference in odds between the two comes via BetWay with Namajunas at -138 to Zhang’s +105. The first bout saw odds close with Zhang as a -200 favorite at the lowest.
Rose Namajunas reclaimed the 115-pound UFC crown at UFC 261 in April when meeting in Jacksonville, Florida. Needing only 78 seconds, “Thug” put away the first Chinese UFC champion via head kick followed by punches to secure the knockout in the evening’s co-main event.
The victory added Rose Namajunas to the history books by making her the first woman to hold a UFC title on two separate occasions. As for Zhang, the loss was only the second of her career and snapped a near-record tying 21 fight unbeaten streak. Had she hit 22, it would have match Megumi Fujii’s run from 2004 to 2010.
Zhang is set to shake things up for this upcoming fight camp as she’ll be taking her talents to Fight Ready in Scottsdale, Arizona — her first fight camp in the U.S. Aiding in her preparations will be Eric Albarracin and his star pupils, Henry Cejudo and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. With Eddie Cha also assisting Zhang, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung may also fly in to help out the former champion.
UFC 268 will also feature a rematch between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Colby “Chaos” Covington. Usman saw his hand raised at the conclusion of their first fight at UFC 245 by way of fifth-round TKO.