Rose
Namajunas and Weili Zhang
will square off with strawweight gold on the line for a second time
at
UFC 268.
The promotion announced the rematch during the UFC on ESPN 30
broadcast on Saturday night. UFC 268 takes place at Madison Square
Garden in New York on Nov. 6. A
previously reported welterweight championship rematch was also
made official.
Namajunas and Zhang first fought at UFC 261, where “Thug” Rose
scored a shocking head-kick KO just 78 seconds into the April 24
bout. It is the second 115-pound championship reign for Namamunas,
who initially captured the strap with a first-round TKO of Joanna
Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217. The 29-year-old 303 Training Center
representative has been victorious in five of her last six
promotional appearances, with wins over Zhang, Jessica
Andrade, Jedrzejczyk (twice) and Michelle
Waterson.
Zhang saw a 21-fight professional winning streak come to an end at
the hands of Namajunas. The 32-year-old Chinese star began her UFC
career with five straight triumphs, claiming the belt with a
42-second stoppage of Jessica
Andrade at UFC Fight Night 157 before taking a split verdict in
a 2020 “Fight of the Year” winner at UFC 248.