Las Vegas, NV — Thus far through the build up to UFC 248, women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang has been one cool customer. During Wednesday’s open workouts, the Chinese champion said that she wasn’t interested in trash talk. It’s not part of her culture.
At the first face-offs for Fight Week, however, it was a different story. With Dana White overseeing the proceedings, the card squared off, not for the last time. Most of the affair was orderly and uneventful, until the co-main event fighters hit the stage.
Challenger Joanna Jedrzejczyk had plenty to say to the woman who currently holds the title the Polish fighter long claimed. And soon enough, Zhang had heard enough, telling the ex-champion in clear English to “shut up.”
For those who read into such things, it could be a crack in armor of Zhang, a sign that the ex-champ’s mind games are paying off. Jedrzejczyk is infamous, after all, for getting under her opponents’ skin. Remember her cooking penne ahead of the Jessica Penne fight? Or it simply could be nothing, momentary annoyance at a chattering challenger.
We’ll know for sure come Saturday night, when UFC 248 goes down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the meantime, check out today’s face-offs in the video above!
