Zhang Weili has cemented herself as one of many best champions in UFC historical past, so it’s solely becoming {that a} fellow legend could possibly be subsequent.
The strawweight queen delivered an emphatic title protection within the co-main occasion of UFC 312 as she out-struck, out-grappled, and outworked Tatiana Suarez en path to a unanimous resolution win. That is the third straight profitable title protection for Zhang in her second run with the belt and her fourth protection general. She can also be the primary lady to defeat Suarez, who was 10-0 heading into Saturday.
Within the lead-up to the bout, Zhang talked about the opportunity of preventing flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko subsequent and he or she was requested about that matchup on the night’s post-fight press convention.
“Let’s discuss with Dana later, however I believe every little thing is about timing,” Zhang stated of preventing Shevchenko. “So if there’s a good time for each of us to make this combat occur, it occurs.”
Zhang was additionally straight-up requested if she felt she was the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on this planet or if Shevchenko nonetheless deserved that honor. Shevchenko just lately reclaimed the flyweight belt with a lopsided resolution win over Alexa Grasso of their trilogy-concluding combat at UFC 306.
Sadly for anybody hoping for a spicy response, Zhang saved a degree head.
“To be sincere, I don’t actually care who’s pound-for-pound No. 1 or No. 2.,” Zhang stated. “It doesn’t actually matter. What I care about is how can I simply make myself higher.”
Zhang has nearly cleaned out the 115-pound division, having defeated everybody she’s shared the octagon with not named Rose Namajunas (and Namajunas isn’t an element for the time being as she at the moment competes at 125 kilos. She has a worthy challenger in Brazilian veteran Virna Jandiroba, however Jandiroba has to get previous Yan Xiaonan at UFC 314 this April earlier than signing on for a title combat.
In fact, it doesn’t sound as if Zhang cares who she fights subsequent.
“I believe the largest opponent to me is myself, so [even] if I keep in strawweight, if I combat completely different types of opponent, I can nonetheless be taught so much from that,” Zhang stated. “Finally, to enhance myself, that’s my final objective.
“I see all my opponents as my lecturers. I’ll be taught from them and simply make myself higher and higher.”
UFC CEO Dana White was additionally requested in regards to the potential Zhang vs. Shevchenko combat. With regard to who’s pound-for-pound No. 1, White stated, “Perhaps we’ll simply have to seek out out,” and later stated the matchup is “a risk” when requested if that’s what the UFC plans to do subsequent.
Watch White’s post-event media scrum beneath.
