Dana White Envisions Weili Zhang Following Star-Building Path Similar to McGregor, Rousey
Weili Zhang passed a significant test at UFC 248, and it seems like even bigger things could be on the way for the Chinese strawweight champion.
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“It’s one of the best fights I’ve ever seen,” UFC President Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Right here, off the top of my head, I would have to say yes, best women’s fight I’ve ever seen, one of the best fights I’ve ever seen.
“That’s definitely a Hall of Fame fight. 100 percent. My phone was
going crazy during that fight. Everybody was blowing me up, saying
it’s the greatest fight they’ve ever seen.”
Heading into UFC 248, White was more excited about the strawweight title bout than he was any other fight on the card. That anticipation proved to be well justified.
“I knew that that fight was gonna be ridiculous,” White said. “You have these two incredibly talented savages who wanted that belt more than anything. I didn’t know if there was gonna be a knockout or a submission or something like that, but I was begging people to watch that fight. “You know me, man, when I sell fights I don’t beg anybody to watch anything, I was literally begging people to watch this fight. And it was, it was incredible.”
Zhang experienced a meteoric rise to stardom that began in earnest when she knocked out Jessica Andrade in 42 seconds to claim 115-pound gold last August. However, the Black Tiger Fight Club product didn’t necessarily generate any buzz when she began her promotional tenure with triumphs over Danielle Taylor, Jessica Aguilar and Tecia Torres, but according to White, those within the Las Vegas-based promotion already had a notion that Zhang had serious star potential.
“We always knew she was special,” White said. “We knew she was special, and we started moving her the way you move somebody you think is special. Then this crazy thing happened where she was ranked No. 6, I think….and she was in line for the title to fight Jessica Andrade, who is an absolute beast. And we were saying, ‘Is she ready for her? We don’t know but she’s next in line, let’s do it.’ We decided to do it and the result was incredible.
“Tonight, she went in against the best ever from that division, the woman who built that division, defended that belt five times, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk came in ridiculous, incredible shape. The amount of experience she has over Weili Zhang is massive, and you saw how good she looked tonight.”
White only expects that Zhang will continue to build upon her performance at UFC 248. In addition to adversity in the Octagon, the champion had to alter her training camp due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in her homeland.
“I only expect her to get better, look better. And I think she made a lot of fans [Saturday],” White said. “She got a good pop from the crowd when she walked out, the fans were behind her, and she murdered it in China, which is more important to me than the U.S., you know? Great people like her in the U.S., I love it — I want people to like her everywhere, but China was a huge success. We will continue to move her around.”
Zhang captured the strawweight title in China, and her first defense came in the combat sports mecca of Las Vegas. White envisions Zhang following a path similar to some of the UFC’s biggest stars ever, and he says that will “probably” include a visit to New York and Madison Square Garden at some point.
“There’s a certain pattern when you’re building someone and you’re trying to build them into a star,” White said. “We did it with Conor McGregor, we’ve done it with Ronda, we’ve done it with all the greats. And we’re gonna do it with her.
“She’s gonna be a massive star. The fighting sport is so crazy you gotta keep winning. If you keep winning, you’re gonna be a star.”
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