Zhang Weili dominated Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 to retain her women’s strawweight title.
Suarez got off to a good start, but Weili prevailed in the later rounds to prove she is one of the best females on the planet.
“She’s unbelievable, she’s incredible…could she be anymore awesome?” UFC commentator Michael Bisping said as he watched the phenomenal performance.
Weili now boasts a professional MMA record of 26-3 and the victory marked her third defence of the strawweight title since winning it from Carla Esparza in 2022.
“I had a full camp for this fight so I was well prepared,” ‘Magnum’ told UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier after the co-main event bout.
Weili was surprisingly the underdog going into the contest in Sydney, Australia, but made it clear that was something that didn’t bother her.
“I don’t care,” she added. “I just focus on myself.”
“I respect Tatiana. She is very strong and she kept going.”
Weili landed a whopping 232 of her 299 strikes compared to Suarez, who landed just 63 of her 95.
Suarez started on the front foot as she took the champion to the floor and spent most of the opening round in control.
However, momentum quickly swung in the second round, as Weili knew she needed to capitalise on the feet.
Weili then reversed one of Suarez’s takedowns in the second five minutes, somehow opening up a cut on Suarez’s knee in the process.
Replays proved the cut opened up from coming into contact with the cage, which ended up effecting Suarez later in the fight.
“Weili is really starting to show why she is the best in the world,” said UFC commentator Daniel Cormier as the champion asserted her dominance.
Weili looked fast and nasty as she cut Suarez with a huge right hand at the beginning of round three.
The challenger then threw a takedown in desperation to drag the champion to the mat after she was almost knocked out.
The round four of Suarez’s career didn’t start well, as Weili landed a takedown that marked the first time the American had ever been brought down in her eight UFC fights.
As both fighters wrestled on the ground, a deep, clear cut began to emerge on the forehead of Suarez’s head, on top of the one that was already getting worse on her knee.
In the fifth and final round, Suarez had to go for it, which meant it was easier for Weili, who continued her dominance to retain the 115-pounds strap in dominant style.
