UFC at the moment introduced that the basic 2020 combat between strawweights Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk shall be inducted into the UFC Corridor of Fame’s ‘Battle Wing’ as part of the category of 2026. This combat will enter the Corridor of Fame as the primary girls’s bout inducted in UFC historical past. The UFC Corridor of Fame Induction Ceremony will happen this summer season.
“The combat between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili at UFC 248 is likely one of the biggest fights I’ve ever seen,” mentioned UFC President & CEO Dana White. “This combat was unbelievable. You had two gifted savages that wished the strawweight title greater than something and neither certainly one of them backed down throughout this combat. I knew this was going to be a badass combat and it completely delivered. Congrats to Joanna and Weili on a combat that may at all times be remembered!”
Because the co-main occasion of UFC® 248: ADESANYA vs. ROMERO, which came about on March 7, 2020, at T-Cell Enviornment in Las Vegas, each athletes entered the Octagon on successful streaks with the strawweight title on the road.
Zhang entered the Octagon because the strawweight champion on a 20-fight successful streak and a formidable 20-1 document (4-0, UFC), lately defeating former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade and turning into the primary Chinese language athlete to seize a UFC title.
Jedrzejczyk entered the bout with a 16-3 document (10-3, UFC) and former wins over former UFC strawweight champions Carla Esparza and Jessica Andrade.
An exhilarating and aggressive combat from the outset the place the three judges have been unanimous in how they noticed simply one of many 5 rounds, Zhang (165) and Jedrzejczyk (186) mixed to land 351 important strikes throughout their 25-minute on the spot basic, essentially the most in a girls’s UFC contest and the third-most in UFC title combat historical past. This combat marked the fourth time Jedrzejczyk landed greater than 180 important strikes in opposition to her opponent, the second-most in UFC historical past behind Max Holloway, who has achieved the feat six occasions. It additionally marked the eighth time the Polish standout landed greater than 100 important strikes in a combat, making her certainly one of six fighters in UFC historical past to perform the feat.
After the exhilarating 25-minute battle that culminated in a standing ovation for the combatants and rapid recognition as one of many biggest fights to ever happen contained in the Octagon, Zhang emerged victorious, retaining her strawweight title by cut up resolution.The 2 would meet in a rematch throughout UFC® 275: TEIXEIRA vs. PROCHAZKA, which came about on June 12, 2022, at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, with Zhang securing the victory by way of KO by spinning backfist within the second spherical.
The combat gained a number of awards, together with Battle of the Yr honors from Yahoo! Sports activities, MMA Junkie, MMA Preventing, The Athletic, BT Sport, CBS Sports activities, and the Fighters Solely World MMA Awards.
