One bout removed from a five-round battle that was 2020’s “Fight of
the Year,” Weili Zhang
saw a 21-bout winning streak end in stunning fashion at UFC
261.
Zhang relinquished her strawweight crown when she was stopped by a
Rose
Namajunas head kick and follow-up hammerfists just 1:18 into
the opening round of Saturday’s co-main event at Vystar Veteran’s
Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It was Zhang’s first
appearance since defeating Joanna
Jedrzejczyk via unanimous decision in an instant classic at UFC
248 in March 2020.
Though Zhang initially protested the stoppage, she later released a
statement on Instagram congratulating Namajunas and expressing
belief in her own ability to bounce back from defeat.
“I want to congratulate Rose on her victory,” Weili wrote. “She
bounced back from her defeat. I believe I will also come back, only
beat a great champion, to become a legend, and beat a legend, I
will become a new me. Before, my goal was to win the UFC
championship, but today, I have a higher goal than that. Thank you!
It’s normal to lose and win. That’s the UFC. Andrade, Joanna, Rose
have all lost and they all come back and try again. I have deepened
my understanding of UFC today. So I believe I can come back.
Hopefully the UFC will schedule a rematch soon.”
Zhang began her promotional tenure with victories over Danielle
Taylor, Jessica
Aguilar, Tecia
Torres, Jessica
Andrade and Jedrzejczyk. Now she will have to follow in the
footsteps of Namajunas, who on Saturday became the first woman in
UFC history to recapture a championship belt she had previously
lost.