UFC 248: Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk make compelling case for equal pay in MMA
- Strawweight queen Zhang and former champ Joanna deliver a performance for the ages, on the grandest of stages in an instant UFC classic
- But their paycheques were dwarfed by Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero, who put on an astonishingly dull main event
This past weekend under the bright lights of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at UFC 248, we were given two title fights: a dichotomy and juxtaposition impossible to miss.
In the first one, reigning strawweight champion Zhang Weili defended her title against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in one of the most compelling tilts of mixed martial arts fighting we’ve seen, ever, period. The two went at each other like rabid animals finally uncaged after years of taunting and teasing, exchanging blows in punishing flurries with little regard for safety or defence.
Five rounds, 25 minutes later, Jedrzejczyk’s forehead was so swollen she looked like an alien, and Zhang’s face so battered she looked like she’d pressed it against a meat grinder. It was quite simply a beautifully violent show of pugilism, a buffet of noises from the crowd as we listened to gloves and feet smashing off foreheads and chins.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan remarked halfway through he was a “professional fan” sitting ringside, in awe of these two warriors who showed no mercy and gave ticket holders and viewers around the world exactly what they wanted: a champion versus champion war down to the very last drop of blood.
When it came to scoring the fight, it felt like everyone won. Zhang retained her title, Jedrzejczyk proved she could still hang with the best and fans got treated to two virtual doppelgängers squaring off in aggressive symmetry. It was a feast for purists and newcomers alike, and a rematch seems inevitable, simply for the fact that I’m sure MMA lovers could watch these two fight dozens of times.
Then, fans inside the arena and watching all over the planet licked their lips and got back onto the edge of their seats. Surely, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and contender Yoel Romero had caught glances of the epic bout while warming up in their dressing rooms, and there is no way they did not feel the energy heading to the Octagon in a stadium filled with supercharged excitement.