UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang explained her path to victory for defeating rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk this weekend at UFC 248.
Zhang takes on Jedrzejczyk in a high-stakes battle between bitter rivals in the co-main event of this weekend’s card. The Chinese champion has been unbeatable since joining the UFC, and she believes she will extend that mark when she takes on her Polish rival this weekend.
Speaking to Dan Hardy (via South China Morning Post), Zhang hinted that Jedrzejczyk will be scared to clinch with her, and she said fear and intimidation are a large part of the gameplan. But in the end, Zhang just believes she’s better than Jedrzejczyk anywhere the fight goes.
“Joanna will keep distance away from me. She won’t stay in the pocket with me because she fears my strength and clinching. I don’t really see anything that can threaten me, so it’s going to be a hard time for her. There are three main areas – stand-up, wrestling and jiu jitsu – and whatever she brings to the table, I’ll go with it and I’ll beat her,” Zhang said.
This will be Zhang’s first title defense since upsetting Jessica Andrade with a first-round TKO win last summer in China. Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, is a former champion of the division who recently returned to form with a decision victory over Michelle Waterson. Both fighters are fighting at a high level right now, and this should be a great fight.
Zhang also mentioned in the interview that training in Las Vegas and not China due to the coronavirus for this bout won’t hinder her.
“It doesn’t matter where I train or do my camp as long as I’m with my team to support me. That’s the most important thing,” Zhang said.
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This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/3/2020.