Covid-19: Zhang Weili lists frustrations before and after UFC 248
- ‘I did not want to say anything about it until I won the fight,’ Zhang says of Joanna Jedrzejczyk poster mocking coronavirus ahead of fight
- Strawweight champion wishes she could have spoken in English when she was trapped in Las Vegas after famous win
Zhang Weili has spoken out on her frustrations with Covid-19 as she looked back on a career-defining 2020 in an online talk.
“During Covid-19 to go to the US was very hard. My fight was booked to happen in the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic but I couldn’t go to the US directly. I had to go Thailand first to train,” Zhang said in the talk for Open English, which she conducted in English – her first time doing so on stage, she said on Weibo.
“When I had just got used to the timezone and weather in Thailand and adjusted myself for the training I was told to go to Abu Dhabi.
“When I was told that I had to fly to Abu Dhabi I was overwhelmed. I thought that it was crazy I have to fly again. I would certainly be disadvantaged because of my situation. I would certainly be affected. But with the encouragement of my coach I finally made adjustments and accepted the situation.”
Aside from battling the disruption to her training regime ahead of the biggest fight of her career, a title defence against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in Las Vegas, the coronavirus pandemic brought its own struggles in the form of prejudice.