UFC: Joanna Jedrzejczyk apologises to Zhang Weili over Wuhan coronavirus post

Chinese champion Zhang Weili accused strawweight contender Joanna Jedrzejczyk of ‘making fun of a tragedy’

Jedrzejczyk says she would ‘never make fun of sick people’ and what is happening in China is ‘very serious’

Reading Time:2 minutes

Zhang Weili claims the strawweight belt after beating Jessica Andrade last year. Photo: Handout

Published: 4:33pm, 30 Jan 2020Updated: 4:45pm, 30 Jan 2020

Former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has apologised for her Instagram post “making light” of the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus ahead of her fight with Chinese champion Zhang Weili.

On Wednesday, the Polish contender posted a picture to her Instagram story of a mock-up of the pair’s UFC 248 fight poster with a gas mask Photoshopped on to her head. The post has since been deleted and Zhang issued a post of her own condemning the photo.

“Oh, you’re talking about that virus and everything? No, I was just laughing at the memes,” Jedrzejczyk said when asked about the controversy on ESPN MMA. “Like some people started posting how funny I look on this meme. I didn’t want to offend someone.

“That’s the thing, I would never make fun of sick people, or [an] illness or virus, because it’s so dangerous. I feel sorry to all of the people because it’s very dangerous for all of us, not only Chinese people,” said the 32-year-old Jedrzejczyk.

“I think Weili Zhang got a little bit too emotional, and if I offended her I am saying sorry. But I was laughing only about the meme, not the illness that’s happening in China right now because it’s very serious situation.”

The pair, who are scheduled to fight on March 7, had been trading barbs for months before the coronavirus meme controversy.