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The UFC strawweight title will be on the line for the first time in nearly 14 months when champion Zhang Weili returns against Rose Namajunas.
The anticipated championship clash between Weili (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Namajunas (9-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is targeted to take place at UFC 261, which is expected to take place on April 24. A location and venue have not been finalized.
MMA Junkie verified with multiple people close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN that, while contracts haven’t been finalized, verbal agreements are in place for the 115-pound title matchup. The people requested anonymity because UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Weili, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie strawweight rankings, hasn’t competed since logging her first title defense against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in March 2020. The bout was awarded MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Year,” but the Chinese titleholder, who is riding a 20-fight winning streak, hasn’t seen action since.
No. 2-ranked Namajunas, meanwhile, will have the chance to reclaim the UFC belt she lost at UFC 237 in May 2019. After ending Jedrzejczyk’s long reign atop the weight class, Namajunas dropped the gold in a stunning slam knockout defeat to Jessica Andrade. The pair had a rematch at UFC 251 in July, with Namajunas beating Andrade by unanimous decision.
The latest UFC 261 lineup now includes:
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from April 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for April. At the bottom of the post, let us know...
Fighters are often criticized for failing to prioritize their financial interests in their MMA careers, but no such accusation can be made toward Irish prospect Paul Hughes. Hughes (11-1), a former Cage Warriors champion, just went through the process of free agency and had bids on the table from...
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