Weili Zhang won the UFC strawweight championship belt for the second time after defeating Carla Esparza by rear-naked choke submission in Round 2 at UFC 281 in New York.
The Chinese had lost her title in a contested duel with Rose Namajunas, who was beaten by Carla Esparza in a boring fight, but now viewers saw a lot more action in the Octagon.
Weili Zhang had the upper hand in striking and especially kicking, while Carla Esparza was expected to show why she is the UFC record holder with 44 takedowns.
She landed one at the start of the second round, but Weili Zhang was able to spin and take the top position, and subsequently gained control of her opponent’s back. The subsequent “rear-naked-choke” was enough for the victory and a well-deserved return of the Chinese fighter to the top of the category.
Zhang Weili is a Chinese mixed martial artist. She is the former Kunlun Fight strawweight champion and competes in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where she is the current and two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion. She is a Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the first-ever Chinese champion in UFC history. Her personal MMA record is 23-3-0 (W-L-D).
