Las Vegas, NV — UFC 248 goes down this Saturday, March 7 in Las Vegas. And when it does, two titles have the possibility of changing hands.
In the main event, Israel Adesanya will take on Yoel Romero, with ‘The Last Stylebender’ defending middleweight gold. He picked up the belt with a thorough dismantling of Robert Whittaker back at UFC 243. Now, he’ll defend it against the imposing Romero — a curious choice to some, as he’s coming off a loss. Two, in fact.
Romero has also twice missed weight for what would have been title fights. But the 185lb division in the UFC is in disarray, to say the least. Injuries, Gegard Mousasi moving to Bellator, and other contenders moving up to light heavyweight have all taken their toll.
Adesanya said Wednesday that he wants to be an active champion. So with that in mind, it’s Romero with the title shot — though the champ has not forgotten Paulo Costa either. “I want to pop that motherf*cker before USADA does, I swear to god,” he exclaimed during a post-workout media scrum.
In the co-main event, former 115lb queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk will challenge China’s Weili Zhang in an attempt to reclaim her old title. Zhang shocked most of the MMA world when she knocked out Jessica Andrade to capture the title back in August of 2019.
This will mark Zhang’s first title defense. And while she has not lost in twenty straight fights, UFC 248 marks a significant challenge.
All four fighters were on hand Wednesday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the event’s open workouts, which were attended by both fans and media. Check out highlights from the workout sessions above.
