Joanna Jedrzejczyk will attempt to reclaim her title when she takes on current 115lb champ Weili Zhang at UFC 248 in March.
Weili Zhang’s first title defense will come against the woman once known simply as Joanna Champion. On Monday, MMA Fighting was first to report that strawweight champ Zhang will defend her belt against former 115lb queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The five-round title fight will come at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020. The event does not yet have a location or venue announced.
Zhang (20-1) shocked the MMA world with an upset victory over feared Brazilian Jessica Andrade at UFC Shenzhen this past August. Zhang earned the title shot after just three fights in the promotion, though it’s worth noting that she was dominant in performances against Danielle Taylor, Jessica Aguilar, and Tecia Torres.
Her fight against Andrade, however, has been her finest moment to date. Zhang finished the formidable ‘Bate Estaca’ in under a minute, a turn of events few saw coming.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-3) will enter UFC 248 off a win against Michelle Waterson at UFC Tampa in October. The win marked her return to strawweight after a failed bid for the vacant flyweight title at UFC 241 in Toronto last December, opposite Valentina Shevchenko.
Jedrzejczyk has only ever lost in title fights — twice to rival Rose Namajunas, and then to Shevchenko. Overall, she’s 2-3 in her past five fights, but worth noting is that all came against champions and top contenders.
The UFC has yet to officially announce the UFC 248 card.
