Francis Ngannou was left stunned after Zhang Weili picked him up with ease in training footage.
The reigning UFC heavyweight champion has been on the sidelines since his last outing against former interim heavyweight titleholder Ciryl Gane in Jan. at UFC 270. Ngannou utilized a surprisingly grappling heavy gameplan to get the nod on the judges’ scorecards and hand Gane the first loss of his professional career. Following the win, he underwent surgery and has been in recovery for his comeback.
Zhang Weili leaves Francis Ngannou stunned after lifting him
In a recent tweet posted by Francis Ngannou, he shared a clip of former UFC strawweight champion Weili picking the 293-pound monster up with relative ease despite competing at 115 pounds herself.
“I can’t believe that @zhangweilimma just picked me up like I wasn’t 293lbs. I didn’t want her to do it I was scared of her hurting her back and was trying to explain this to her….then found myself suddenly up in the air. Her strength ratio is through the roof”
I can't believe that @zhangweilimma just picked me up like I wasn't 293lbs 😳
I didn't want her to do it I was scared of her hurting her back and was trying to explain this to her….then found myself suddenly up in the air.
Her strength ratio is through the roof 📈 pic.twitter.com/smhsP9H91u
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 3, 2022
Zhang is gearing up to face Carla Esparza
In May, former two-time women’s strawweight queen Rose Namajunas lost her belt to Carla Esparza in a lackluster rematch at UFC 274. Namajunas decided to take a break from competition and will likely sit out for the next few months.
‘The Cookie Monster’ got paired up with ‘Magnum’ for a title match that will serve as the co-main event of UFC 281 on Nov. 12. It will mark the promotion’s grand return to Madison Square Garden in New York City after three-year hiatus from pandemic-related restrictions.
Esparza will go into the bout looking to extend her six-fight win streak. Meanwhile, Weili is coming off a dominant win over former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk, widely regarded as the greatest female 115-pound mixed martial artist of all time. Zhang scored a brutal spinning-backfist knockout of Jędrzejczyk in Jun. at UFC 275.
