Weili Zhang is here and she has about a billion-and-a-half supporters behind her.
That might be a slight exaggeration, but the fact is that Zhang challenging for a world title in her home country of China is an unprecedented opportunity for the UFC to grow, and given that she’s won her last 19 fights, it’s not hard to imagine that she makes it an even 20 this Saturday in Shenzhen.
Standing in her way is recently crowned strawweight queen Jessica Andrade. The 27-year-old Brazilian’s 11 UFC wins are tied with Amanda Nunes for the most by a female fighter in company history, yet there are still some who question whether the success of Bate Estaca is due to her skill and technique or if it’s her immense physical gifts that have carried her to the top.