UFC: Zhang Weili, coach want ‘neutral’ rematch with Rose Namajunas in Abu Dhabi after booing
- Coach Cai Xuejun says Florida crowd’s boos put Chinese fighter at ‘psychological disadvantage’ but Zhang emphasises ‘we’re not making any excuses’
- Former strawweight champ insists ‘we brought the belt and went to America’ but Cai admits calling the shots for second fight ‘might not be up to us’
Zhang Weili and her team want a rematch with Rose Namajunas on “neutral” grounds in Abu Dhabi, following the hostile reception received by the Chinese former UFC strawweight champion in Jacksonville, Florida.
“Magnum” surrendered her belt to the Lithuanian-American after a first-round head kick KO at UFC 261, where most of the 15,000 fans inside the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena relentlessly booed her, with some reports of racist remarks being heard as she walked to and from the Octagon on April 24.
“The last fight with Joanna [Jedrzejczyk], even though she trains in America, she isn’t American. So we were quite equal and neither of us got any boos,” Zhang sad during a Q&A with a Chinese media outlet, which was translated by a YouTube user.
“But this time, because Rose is from America, and Florida is a bit like that … So when I showed up in the event … wow, the boos were really loud.
“It was my first time experiencing the situation. And I didn’t expect it to be so serious. Even if she had 70 per cent of the audience on her side, and just a small amount of my side, it wouldn’t have been that loud.