UFC today announced that the classic 2020 fight between strawweights Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s ‘Fight Wing’ as a part of the class of 2026. This fight will enter the Hall of Fame as the first women’s bout inducted in UFC history. The UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place this summer.
“The fight between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili at UFC 248 is one of the greatest fights I’ve ever seen,” said UFC President & CEO Dana White. “This fight was incredible. You had two talented savages that wanted the strawweight title more than anything and neither one of them backed down during this fight. I knew this was going to be a badass fight and it absolutely delivered. Congrats to Joanna and Weili on a fight that will always be remembered!”
As the co-main event of UFC® 248: ADESANYA vs. ROMERO, which took place on March 7, 2020, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, both athletes entered the Octagon on winning streaks with the strawweight title on the line.
Zhang entered the Octagon as the strawweight champion on a 20-fight winning streak and an impressive 20-1 record (4-0, UFC), recently defeating former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade and becoming the first Chinese athlete to capture a UFC title.
Jedrzejczyk entered the bout with a 16-3 record (10-3, UFC) and previous wins over former UFC strawweight champions Carla Esparza and Jessica Andrade.
A thrilling and competitive fight from the outset where the three judges were unanimous in how they saw just one of the five rounds, Zhang (165) and Jedrzejczyk (186) combined to land 351 significant strikes during their 25-minute instant classic, the most in a women’s UFC contest and the third-most in UFC title fight history. This fight marked the fourth time Jedrzejczyk landed more than 180 significant strikes against her opponent, the second-most in UFC history behind Max Holloway, who has accomplished the feat six times. It also marked the eighth time the Polish standout landed more than 100 significant strikes in a fight, making her one of six fighters in UFC history to accomplish the feat.
After the exhilarating 25-minute battle that culminated in a standing ovation for the combatants and immediate recognition as one of the greatest fights to ever take place inside the Octagon, Zhang emerged victorious, retaining her strawweight title by split decision.The two would meet in a rematch during UFC® 275: TEIXEIRA vs. PROCHAZKA, which took place on June 12, 2022, at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, with Zhang securing the victory via KO by spinning backfist in the second round.
The fight won several awards, including Fight of the Year honors from Yahoo! Sports, MMA Junkie, MMA Fighting, The Athletic, BT Sport, CBS Sports, and the Fighters Only World MMA Awards.
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