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The UFC strawweight title will be on the line for the first time in nearly 14 months when champion Zhang Weili returns against Rose Namajunas.
The scheduled championship clash between Weili (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Namajunas (9-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is set to take place at UFC 261, which is scheduled to take place on April 24. location and location have not been defined.
MMA Junkie checked with several people familiar with the situation following an initial report from ESPN that while contracts have not been finalized, verbal agreements are in place for the 115-pound title game. People requested anonymity as the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Weili, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports / MMA Junkie strawweight charts, hasn’t competed since recording her first title defense against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in March 2020. The fight has Received MMA Junkie’s “fight of the year” award, but the Chinese title holder, who leads a 20-game winning streak, hasn’t seen any action since.
The No.2-ranked Namajunas will have the chance to reclaim the UFC belt they lost at UFC 237 in May 2019. After ending Jedrzejczyk’s long reign at the top of the weight class, Namajunas lost the gold medal in a stunning knockout loss to Jessica Andrade. . The couple had a rematch at UFC 251 in July, with the Namajunas defeating Andrade by unanimous decision.
The latest UFC 261 range now includes:
Champion Zhang Weili vs Rose Namajunas – for the strawweight title Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs Jessica Andrade – for the women’s flyweight title Uriah Hall vs Chris Weidman Jimmy Crute vs Anthony Smith Danaa Batgerel vs Kevin Natividad
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