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Mathew Scott

Two days out from her shot at a history-making first UFC world title for China and Zhang “Magnum” Weili seems to be immune to any pressure you’d suspect might be building.
In fact she seems to be having the time of her life.
“This is my dream,” she said on Thursday. “So everything is great.”
Zhang (19-1) will on Saturday try to become the UFC’s first Chinese – and Asian – world champion when she faces off against the Brazilian strawweight title-holder and powerhouse that is Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (20-6) inside the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre.




The bout is at the top of a 12-bout Fight Night 157 card that reveals a lot about how far Chinese MMA has come – quickly – and a lot about the UFC’s ambitions for a country in which it has invested heavily both in terms of infrastructure and talent.
There are seven Chinese fighters on a card that is the Las Vegas-based organisation’s third on the mainland. They present a blend of experience in welterweight and local icon Li “The Leech” Jingliang (16-5), at 31 years of age and a veteran of 12 years in the fight game, and also potential in the shape of a rising star in 23-year-old bantamweight Wu “Mulan” Yanan (10-2).
UFC Fight Night Shenzhen: card, tickets, odds and how to watch as Zhang Weili takes on Jessica Andrade
But over the past two years it has been Zhang’s rise that has built the biggest buzz, as she’s progressed from the domestic leagues to a 3-0 UFC run, a world ranking of six and now a title shot that took most pundits by surprise.
Word from UFC boss Dana White was that no one but the champ was prepared to fight Zhang, which makes for a good line in terms of promotion (which is what the man does, after all) but given the Chinese star’s unbeaten 18-0 run overall is not beyond the realms of possibility either.
So there’s the hype started.

But, as mentioned, Zhang seems oblivious to it all and she was beaming on stage in a Shenzhen mall during the open workouts as she rag-dolled a male training partner who was twice her size, or more.
“I’m feeling very calm,” Zhang said. “Of course I want to win the title but I also want to deliver a brilliant performance for the Chinese audience.
“There’s more encouragement for me fighting here than there is pressure. I’ll have no jet-lag, which means I am in better condition than last time. There’s no visa problems, as the last two times I have fought in the States my coach couldn’t make it. That wasn’t good for preparations or during the fight. So for me this is perfect.”

Fight camp has been spent in Beijing with the odd trip to the freshly minted (to the tune of around US$13 million) UFC Shanghai Performance Institute. For added focus Zhang revealed she had packed her mother and her beloved pet dog off back home to Hebei for the duration.
“No distractions, no pressure,” said the 30-year-old. “Dog or mother.”
Andrade has also been revelling in the attention, and endearing herself to the locals with a little Mandarin and the revelation she’s acquired a multi-entry visa that would see her returning no matter what the outcome of Saturday’s bout might be.

In capturing the title back in May – thanks to a breathtaking display of power and will in slamming American Rose “Thug” Namajunas (8-4) – the 27-year-old Andrade made good on the promise she has shown in her steady rise through the ranks.
She has experience at the very top of the game on her side – what with six years in the UFC – and the traditional Brazilian grounding in jiu-jitsu that must always be cause for some concern among the camps of fighters from Asia.
“I don’t’ train to go the distance, I train to finish fights,” was how the Brazilian summed up her own prep work on Thursday.

Physically, and in terms of the potential of a toe-to-toe scrap, the pair look – from the other side of the cage at least – to be an equal match.
Last time out in these parts (Fight Night 141 in Beijing last November) against American Jessica “Jag” Aguilar (20-8), Zhang showed she wasn’t averse to a little ground game either, battering her opponent with elbows before ending it all with an arm bar with time still left in the first round.
“She is very strong and has lots of experience fighting champions and fighters at the top of the rankings,” Zhang said of her opponent. “All the top fighters are strong but nobody is perfect. Every fighter has their weaknesses. The most important thing is to seize the opportunity in the Octagon on the day. You have to be clever enough to figure out the best strategies, and seize the chance. In the top 10 everyone is strong and you know that when you walk into the Octagon.”

Li is up against another brawler in the 32-year-old Brazilian Elizeu “Capeoi” Zaleski Dos Santos (21-5) and fireworks are also expected from Wu in her match-up against another precocious talent in the 25-year-old Japanese fighter Mizuki Inoue (13-5), making her UFC debut.
Great for the locals, but there’s little doubt the world at large will be focused on the main event. Don’t let Zhang’s carefree demeanour distract from the fact she’s ready.
“I am the kind of person who is well prepared with strategies and sometimes when you start a fight these don’t work,” Zhang said. “So I am trying to adapt faster to what is in front of me. Sometimes I think too much during the fight – about getting the bonus and putting on a good show. This time I just want to win.”


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Zhang Weili says preparations perfect for her shot at a history-making first UFC title for China
But Brazilian champion Jessica Andrade says ‘I don’t train to go the distance, I train to finish fights’



Zhang Weili’s preparations perfect for shot at history-making first UFC title but Brazilian champion says ‘I don’t train to go the distance, I train to finish fights’
