21-fight win streak snapped. China’s Zhang Weili suffered her first loss inside the Octagon and had nearly 8 years of dominance wiped clean by Rose Namajunas..
The result would end up being a first round KO for the former champion, Namajunas, in the co-main event slot of UFC 261. The ‘headkick heard round’ the world’ if you will.
The Thrill And The Agony
Utter shock was displayed on the commentators faces as well as the 15,000 fans in the sold-out Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
Namajunas, being the underdog, shocked the world once again. The fight reflected her massive upset win which saw her first gain the title, when she knocked out Joanna Jedrzejczyk in one round at UFC 217.
Despair and frustration would come across team Zhang after the stoppage. China’s first UFC champ would protest the stoppage but later realized that referee Keith Peterson had some sense in the matter.
Time To Reload
After reflecting on the defeat in her post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, ‘Magnum’ would reload and aimed her thoughts on Instagram.
“I want to congratulate Rose on her victory,” Weili wrote. “She bounced back from her defeat. I believe I will also come back, only beat a great champion, to become a legend, and beat a legend, I will become a new me.”
“Before, my goal was to win the UFC championship,” she continued. “but today, I have a higher goal than that. Thank you! It’s normal to lose and win. That’s the UFC. Andrade, Joanna, Rose have all lost and they all come back and try again. I have deepened my understanding of UFC today. So I believe I can come back. Hopefully the UFC will schedule a rematch soon.”
Zhang Weili is looking to write a comeback story of the ages following her first loss since her MMA debut back in 2013. The 2020 fight of the year winner looks to secure a immediate rematch with “Thug” Rose Namajunas if possible.
