Three months after claiming the UFC’s strawweight championship in her native Brazil, Jessica Andrade will return the favor by defending her belt in enemy territory — just not in a fight against the same woman who relinquished the strap to Andrade in May.
Andrade (20-6) will make her first defense on Saturday in Shenzhen, China (3 a.m. ET ESPN, 6 a.m. ESPN+), against Zhang Weili (19-1), the first Chinese fighter to compete for a UFC title. It will mark the second consecutive time a 115-pound champion will travel to a challenger’s backyard to defend. Former champ Rose Namajunas did so in May and surrendered the belt to Andrade via second-round knockout.
The location of this fight takes on an even greater significance when you consider the state of MMA in China.
The UFC has invested years — not to mention millions of dollars — into building its presence in the region. Those efforts have included bringing Chinese fighters to the United States to train, sending U.S. coaches to China for seminars, creating a Chinese version of its reality series “The Ultimate Fighter” and, most recently, the opening of a 93,000-square-foot Performance Institute in Shanghai.
Of course, one of the major reasons behind these initiatives is brand awareness, but the real goal here is developing talent. With Chinese talent comes increased MMA interest in China. And right now Zhang is leading the way for the talented class of Chinese prospects popping up in the UFC.
At the end of the day, this is still one fight between two women — an athletic contest to determine the best 115-pound fighter on the planet. But it also could have a massive impact on what is the UFC’s most sought-after market.
By the numbers
0: Chinese fighters, prior to Zhang, who have been given a UFC title shot. In fact, only one Asian fighter has ever won a UFC championship bout: Valentina Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan, who won the women’s flyweight belt in 2018 and has defended it twice this year. Other than Shevchenko, Asian fighters are 0-8-1 in UFC title bouts.
15: UFC bouts fought by Andrade, the most by a female fighter. She is tied with two-division champ Amanda Nunes for most UFC wins by a woman (11).
19: Consecutive victories by Zhang, who has not lost since dropping her professional debut in 2013.
35: Takedowns by Andrade in UFC bouts, most among females in the promotion’s history.
16: Stoppages by Zhang among her 19 career wins (nine by KO/TKO, seven by submission).
Source: ESPN Stats & Information
A look back
Fighting words
“The chance is right here, right in front of me. I need to seize the opportunity. Obviously, when I first heard of this, I was excited for a while, but later on I got calmed. I calmed down myself, actually.” — Zhang, through a translator, at a UFC news conference in Shanghai in June.
“I’m looking forward to the match in the Octagon and to coming to China for the first time. I am very happy. I already have sensed the passion and hospitality of people here.” — Andrade, also through a translator, at the same news conference.
The UFC’s plans for China
Brett Okamoto’s pick
And the winner is … Zhang is a big strawweight. She’ll likely appear bigger than Andrade on fight night, which is saying something, considering Andrade used to fight at bantamweight, a weight class that’s 20 pounds heavier. Zhang has real finishing skills and the ability to take fights where she wants them to go. If she were fighting any other strawweight in the world, I’d probably pick her. But as good as I believe Zhang is, I haven’t forgotten how good Andrade has been in recent years. Andrade via TKO, third round.
Waiting in the wings
Former champion Rose Namajunas has to be first in line, if she wants and is ready for a title rematch. If not, it comes down to unbeaten Tatiana Suarez or the winner of the Oct. 12 fight between another ex-champ, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Michelle Waterson. Good options all. The cupboard most certainly is not bare in the land of 115-pounders.
What to watch for … beyond the main event
The country’s leading man
Zhang might be the one getting the spotlight on Saturday in front of the Chinese fans, but it is the homegrown half of the co-main event who has done the most for the country’s MMA profile. Li Jingliang, who faces Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in a welterweight bout, is 16-5 with eight UFC victories — the most by a Chinese fighter.
Jingliang, who is on a two-fight winning streak, has had stoppages in 11 of his 16 victories (seven by KO/TKO, four by submission).
Zaleski dos Santos, who is from Brazil, is 21-5 overall, 7-1 in the UFC. He is on a seven-fight win streak, tied for third longest among active UFC welterweights.
Nickname of the (middle of the) night
There might not be a lot of big names on Saturday’s card, but there sure are some nicknames. The main event pits “Bate Estaca” (Portuguese for “Pile Driver,” which is perfect for Andrade) against “Magnum” (Zhang, who must be a Tom Selleck fan). In the co-main, “The Leech” (Jingliang) faces “Capoeira” (the style-descriptive name for Zaleski dos Santos).
The main card also has a men’s flyweight bout between “The Bumblebee” (Mark De La Rosa) and “Don’t Blink” (Kai Kara-France). The prelims feature “The Asian Sensation” (bantamweight Andre Soukhamthath, who faces Su Mudaerji) and “Fluffy” (middleweight Anthony Hernandez, who meets Jun Yong Park).
Which nickname is best of the bunch? The judges score it a multiple-way draw.