Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk- UFC 248
Legend has it that if UFC fights didn’t have a five-round limit, these two would still be slinging leather.
Zhang Weili had taken the strawweight division by storm, winning her first four UFC fights to bolster her pro record to 20-1 and completely obliterating Jessica Andrade in just 42 seconds to become UFC champion. Still, there was plenty of reason to be skeptical of her chances in her first title defense. Standing across from her at UFC 248 was the 115-pound GOAT, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The Polish star had successfully defended that same belt five consecutive times and only lost to Rose Namajunas and Valentina Shevchenko (the latter at 125 pounds). There was a reason that her nickname was “Joanna Champion.”
The preview for this fight pitted Zhang’s power vs. Jedrzejczyk’s precision. Explosive finishing ability vs. death by a thousand cuts. The new champ vs. the old guard. And after 25 minutes, we all knew we had seen the best vs. the best.
At a glance, you wouldn’t know that Jedrzejczyk was the challenger. She stalked Zhang with the same confidence she had during her title reign and landed with the sharpness and accuracy we’d grown accustomed to. The thing is, Zhang was right there with her, punch for punch and kick for kick. Outside of the Namajunas fights, Jedrzejczyk had rarely been challenged in the standup department. It had become a familiar sight to see her out-strike and outpace her foes. That wasn’t going to happen with Zhang.
Re-watch the fight and you’ll swear there was an invisible tether between Zhang and Jedrzejczyk. Except for in-between rounds, they were never far from each other, always ready to throw. This wasn’t a wild brawl either. They took their time picking their shots and assaulting every inch of the human body that they could reach. Sizzling combinations, perfectly-timed counters, raging flurries. There was hardly a moment for them to catch their breath and the same was true for the entranced audience.
It didn’t stop. For five classic rounds, it just didn’t stop. In fact, according to the stats, the striking output increased as the fight went on. Even as they did their best to permanently rearrange each other’s faces (an accidental headbutt that later caused Jedrzejczyk’s forehead to swell to the size of a melon didn’t help things), neither showed any quit. This was one of the most majestic dogfights you will ever see.
If the quality of a title fight is defined by its championship rounds, then this may have been the greatest UFC title fight ever. They saved the best for the last 10 minutes, leaving it all in the octagon and leaving everyone wanting more.
The end result was a split nod in favor of Zhang, who is destined to cross paths with Jedrzejczyk again someday. Jedrzejczyk suffered her fourth straight loss in a championship fight, but this performance will be remembered as one of the best of her storied career, regardless of who had their hand raised.
It’s fitting that this bout took place on the last UFC event of 2020 before the pandemic changed everything, because until fans can attend fights again this will serve as a reminder of the magic that can happen when a live crowd gets to witness two all-time greats at the peak of their powers.
Nine months later, people are still talking about it. Expect that to still be the case 90 years from now.
