Miami — Brazilian contender Virna Jandiroba (22-3) arguably cemented her case for a title shot at UFC 314, defeating recent title challenger Yan Xiaonan and securing her fifth straight win in the process.
The former Invicta FC strawweight champion has been circling the top of the division for a while now, and one fight prior to Saturday had submitted another title challenger, Amanda Lemos. Her recent results had Jandiroba telling media outlets including Cageside Press at the Kaseya Center on Saturday that when it comes to a title shot, “I think now it’s undeniable.”
“I’ve done all the work, I beat five very high level opponents all back-to-back. If it’s Weili, great, I’ll go where ever I have to go to fight her. But if it’s against another person in case Weili goes away, that’s fine. I’ll fight whoever, but the title fight has to be next.”
The question of who and where UFC strawweight champ Weili Zhang will fight next has been a hot one the past year. She’s all but cleaned out the 115lb division, with Jandiroba one of the last names she hasn’t faced that has any claim to a title shot. Ten pounds up at flyweight, however, a super-fight with Valentina Shevchenko awaits. Dana White wasn’t ready to talk about that on Saturday, but he’s said he’s open to it in the past. It’s likely that the UFC pulls the trigger with a Shevchenko win at UFC 315 in Montreal next month.
Virna Jandiroba, however, doesn’t care who she fights for a title. “Let’s be honest, yes. I want the title.”
UFC 314 was somewhat unique as the featherweight title on the line in the main event, won by Alexander Volkanovski, was vacated by Ilia Topuria to facilitate his move up to 155lbs. It’s rare to see a champ drop one belt to pursue another, rather than try to hold both. That’s something Jandiroba would like to see play out with strawweight, as she’s concerned Zhang might hold up an already slow 115lb division in pursuit of double-champ dreams.
“In my case, for sure. Because the division is a little stalled here. So I think if she does move up, then it’s going to be stalled even more, and we need action in the division,” stated Jandiroba. “There are so many fights that can be done, and if it’s not with her, that’s fine. She can do whatever she wants, but the title should be up next.”
Asked how she thinks Weili Zhang would fare against Valentina Shevchenko, the Brazilian said that “I believe that Weili is in a better moment in her career, and I believe that she’s a very smart fighter. She’s able to adapt well, she’s very consistent, and that’s going to be a huge difference when it comes time to fight Valentina.”
Watch Virna Jandiroba’s full UFC 314 post-fight press conference appearance above.
