Zhang Weili, two-time UFC strawweight champion, is set to return to defend her title against Amanda Lemos, with future matchups against Yan Xiaonan and Tatiana Suarez also potential contenders, while affirming her preparedness to counter Lemos’ aggressive style.
Nine months ago, Zhang Weili victoriously emerged as a two-time strawweight champion after decisively defeating Carla Esparza. Since then, she’s been eager to return to the ring, and she’ll finally get her chance at UFC 292. This Saturday, Weili will face off against Amanda Lemos in the co-main event of the pay-per-view, a significant opportunity for the Brazilian contender who’s earned her first title shot after back-to-back victories against Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson.
There were multiple contenders for Zhang’s first title defense including Yan Xiaonan, who had impressive wins against Jessica Andrade and Mackenzie Dern. However, the fight against Lemos had been in the pipeline for a while. Zhang said, “I’m not surprised about this matchup at all. Because we started working on this fight very early, earlier than Yan’s [most recent] fight, so since my last fight and Lemos beat Marina [Rodriguez], we just started working on this fight. We were just working on some details like the date and location, but we started working on this fight earlier than Yan [beat] Jessica Andrade [in May].”
Despite her solid resume, including a 7-1 overall record in her past eight UFC fights, Lemos has generally stayed under the radar as a strawweight title contender. There has been considerable discussion around Yan possibly getting the next title shot against Zhang in their native China, especially considering the UFC’s strategic expansion into the country in recent years. However, Zhang is not diverted by the future possibilities, stating, “Let’s see what happens in this fight. Now I’m only focusing on this fight on this Saturday. This is what I’m focusing on right now.”
When asked about other potential contenders like Tatiana Suarez, who submitted Andrade at UFC Nashville improving her undefeated record to 10-0 overall, Zhang responded, “All the top five fighters in my division can be my potential opponents. I think it’s possible [I could fight Tatiana Suarez].” But for now, her attention is solely on defeating Lemos at UFC 292. Zhang respects Lemos’s skills, acknowledging she’s a “very good fighter” and quite “aggressive.” Looking forward to the match, Zhang drew inspiration from martial arts legend Bruce Lee, saying, “What I want to showcase more in this fight is to fight like water. I can fight very flowing, smooth and shapeless. I can be water and just wrap her up. Even if she makes any tiny mistake, I can catch it and finish her.”