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Ultimate Fighting Championship
Martial ArtsMixed Martial Arts

UFC 261: Zhang Weili not paying attention to Rose Namajunas ‘non-truths’, coach says

  • Chinese strawweight champ’s team dismiss Namajunas’ controversial ‘better dead than red’ comments leading into UFC 261 title fight
  • ‘We’re not going to allow things that are just not true to take away from our personal success as a team and a family,’ Ruben Payan Jnr says

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Ruben Payan Jnr (left) with UFC strawweight champ Zhang Weili after she won the title from Jessica Andrade in Shenzhen. Photos: Handout
John Hyon Ko
Zhang Weili’s team have dismissed Rose Namajunas’ controversial “better dead than red” comments leading into their UFC 261 title fight on April 24.
The last week has been a media firestorm for the 28-year-old Namajunas (9-4), the Lithuanian-American receiving criticism for her perceived attacks towards UFC strawweight champion Zhang (21-1) while denouncing communism.

The Chinese superstar and her team have been in Florida at an undisclosed location putting on the finishing touches to preparations for her second title defence, which takes place in front of 15,000 fans at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, and the outside distractions have not penetrated their bubble. 

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“To be honest with you we haven’t been paying attention,” Ruben Payan Jnr, Zhang’s strength and conditioning coach, told SCMP MMA. “It’s been like watching it but not feeling it. 

“This is the soap opera that’s happening but [we’re] not really engaging in it because we’re just so focused on the fight.

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