The UFC is targeting a second women’s title fight for its April pay-per-view event. Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas for the strawweight title is in the works for UFC 261 on April 24, sources told ESPN on Friday.
While the fight isn’t yet finalized, April 24 is the date the promotion and both fighters are targeting. The hope is that the fight gets finalized in the coming days, according to multiple sources.
Earlier this week, ESPN reported Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade for the women’s flyweight title has been booked for that card, too.
The UFC had been working on holding that event in Singapore, according to sources. However, sources now say it looks like it will take place in Las Vegas. Those plans are also not yet finalized.
The fight would mark Zhang’s first in more than a year. She last fought in March 2020 when she defeated Joanna Jędrzejczyk (21-1) via split decision in a fight that was the consensus 2020 MMA fight of the year.
Namajunas (9-4), a former strawweight champion, is coming off a split-decision win over Andrade in July.