“It’s OFFICIAL”- Carla Esparza announces her first title defence against Zhang Weili at UFC 281 in MSG
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Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili
After claiming the title at UFC 274, in a split decision matchup, Carla Esparza became a two-time Strawweight champion. The champion is now set to defend her title against former champion Zhang Weili. The showdown is scheduled for the co-main event at UFC 281 in November.
Although the fight between Rose Namajunas and Esparza was very lackluster at UFC 274. The Cookie Monster just did a bit more to win on the judge’s card. She is now on a 6-fight win streak after capturing the title for the second time.
On the other hand, Magnum Weili knocked out UFC vet Joanna Jedrzejczyk with a spinning back fist in Round 2 at UFC 276. Prior to this the former champion lost her title at the hand of Namajunas at UFC 261. She also was defeated in the rematch at UFC 268 by Namajunas. Before the UFC 276 fight, UFC President Dana White had stated that the winner between Weili and Joanna will be the next title challenger.
Carla Esparza has defeated the fan favourite Rose Namajunas twice
Although the UFC hasn’t made it official yet, the champion had posted on her Instagram confirming the fight at UFC 281. Following Weili’s victory over Joanna, Zhang had asked for the title fight at UFC 280 on Oct. 22. However, the champion initially revealed that injuries would likely force her out until 2023.
Later Carla was cleared of her injuries, so the bout will take place later than what Weili asked for. On the other hand, it will be earlier than the champion’s original timeline. With the addition of this fight, we now have two title fights scheduled for UFC 281. With Adesanya defending his Middleweight crown against former Kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in the main event.
Also Read: “It’s her choice“- Joanna Jedrzejczyk suggests Carla Esparza is scared of fighting Zhang Weili
Recently, the champion took to her Instagram to announce the confirmation of the fight between her and former champion Weili. The champion wrote, “It’s official!! UFC 281 Madison Square Garden on November 12th!”
This is a very interesting matchup as according to MMA math, Esparza has defeated Rose Namajunas twice. Both of the matchups were title fights. However, the second victory of the champion wasn’t convincing enough. On the other hand, Magnum’s recent losses in a title fight and a subsequent rematch were at the hand of Namajunas. Although, Magnum’s recent performance is proof to not count her out in this fight.
Anyhow this will be an exciting showdown and will likely set the fate of the Strawweight division for the coming year. Esparza has a good chance of winning this fight but Weili is a very dangerous opponent to tackle. Tell us your thoughts on this matchup in the comments below.
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Abhijit Singh
(125 Articles Published)