Dominant Strawweight Champion Aims To Conquer Flyweight

Returning to the flyweight division for the first time in nearly a decade, previous strawweight queen Zhang Weili moves up for the first time in her UFC tenure to challenge for both a second championship, and a special spot in the sport’s history.

Zhang Weili Goes Up in Weight To Vie for Flyweight Throne at UFC 322

Following a pair of exciting title reigns at 115-lb, Zhang Weili will now attempt to conquer a new frontier in the UFC’s highly-competitive women’s flyweight category. Garnering four overall defenses of her strap by taking out the likes of Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Yan Xiaonan and Tatiana Suarez, the Chinese phenom stands as an icon of female combat sports.

Co-headlining one of the biggest events the promotion will be putting on in 2025, “Magnum” will come to blows with European Muay Thai specialist and current 125-lb apex Valentina Shevchenko.

Valentina Shevchenko Standing in Zhang Weili’s Way Saturday at UFC 322

Residing at the top of the company’s women’s pound-for-pound rankings, Valentina Shevchenko is in the midst of a second stint as the flyweight class’s gold standard. While a historic upset loss to Alexa Grasso in 2023 saw her lose her belt after seven consecutive title defenses, the Kyrgyz ended up coming out on top over her nemesis to regain her championship at UFC 306 last year. Now firmly back in the driver’s seat of her division, “Bullet” has logged one successful retention after a hard-fought scrap with French standout Manon Fiorot heading into her anticipated appearance this weekend at Madison Square Garden. 

Can Zhang Weili Thrive at Flyweight?

At strawweight, Zhang was considered the most dominant champion the weight class has ever produced. Throughout her rise to the top and subsequent legacy-defining runs as belt-holder, she racked up a sterling divisional record of 10-2 in the UFC, with her only setbacks coming to fellow 115-lb alum Rose Namajunas. 

However, while her conquest at strawweight turned her into a bonafide star, many pundits have begun to wonder how Zhang will do at flyweight after a lengthy absence from the division stemming almost ten years. To put it into perspective, the last time she fought at 125-lb came all the way back during her days on the Asian regional circuit in 2016.