The Takedown

UFC: Zhang Weili can count herself lucky but Rose Namajunas rematch still intrigues

China’s former champ gets wish for immediate strawweight title rematch granted, much to the chagrin of Carla Esparza

Zhang walks into hostile territory once more hoping to prove first fight was fluke, but knows there can be no excuses this time if she loses

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Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas shake hands at the UFC 261 weigh-in. Photo: Zuffa LLC

Nico is a production editor on the South China Morning Post’s sport desk, where he covers mixed martial arts (MMA) in Asia, as well as local sport in Hong Kong.

Published: 4:14pm, 29 Aug 2021Updated: 4:41pm, 29 Aug 2021

Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas kept their counsel in the immediate aftermath following the announcement of their strawweight title rematch during Saturday night’s UFC Vegas 35 broadcast.

But Carla Esparza was quick to comment, her response a simple one – heart break and shrug emojis, in a Facebook post.

“Using this time to improve and evolve,” said the American, who had a claim to the next title shot after dismantling Zhang’s fellow Chinese fighter Yan Xiaonan in May, to make it five wins in a row.

There was an intriguing inbuilt storyline for a potential fight with Namajunas, too, with Esparza (18-6) beating her to become the inaugural champ in December 2014.

Zhang (21-2) can certainly count herself lucky, then, that she has been granted her wish for an immediate rematch – the first fight, April’s UFC 261 co-main event, was not competitive by any stretch.