13 January 2021

UFC president Dana White looks to book Zhang Weili’s next fight in Asia

UFC president Dana White has teased Zhang Weili’s next straw-weight title fight to be in Asia.

Weili, 31, is set to take on Rose Namajunas or Carla Esparza this year, but White has hinted that it won’t be in Las Vegas or Abu Dhabi, which is where UFC fights have been held during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Weili’s next fight, White said: "We’re working on her, too.

“Obviously, the fight that everybody wants to see is her and Rose [Namajunas]. Hopefully we can get that done. If not, the next one in line would probably be Carla Esparza. We’re looking at doing that fight this year and in Asia.”

Weili became UFC’s first Chinese champion when she beat Jessica Andrade in August 2019 and she last competed in March 2020 when she won against Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

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