In what could be the Fight of the Year, Weili Zhang narrowly defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk in their UFC 248 title showdown.
Zhang and Jedrzejczyk starred in the co-main event fight of the UFC 248 fight card in Las Vegas, with the strawweight championship on the line.
The 5-foot-4 defending champ is on a four-fight winning streak going into this title clash, with his most recent victory coming at the expense of Jessica Andrade.
Zhang is the first Chinese and East Asian champion in the UFC history and she is serious to secure a win and retain her title amid the recent outbreak happening in her country at the moment.
According to her coach, the preparation for UFC 248 has been affected by the outbreak but Zhang remains focused on getting the job done on her first title-defence.
Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, earned her shot at the title, following a unanimous decision win over Michelle Waterson last year on her return to strawweight division.
Prior to this victory, she lost to Valentina Shevchenko in a fight for the vacant women’s flyweight championship at UFC 231.
The Polish mixed martial artist is regarded by many as the greatest strawweight fighter in the UFC as she defended the title for five-straight times after winning it in March 2015.
Jedrzejczyk considers this title bout as the ‘most important fight of my fighting career, in my life’ as she vows to reclaim the throne she previously held for three years.
The strawweight pair treated MMA fans to an instant classic at UFC 248 as they fought in an epic five-round contest, with Zhang getting the upperhand in the first two rounds.
The challenger showed she is made of steel as he fought through thre championship rounds with a brutal injury in the forehead, which she sustained at the end of the round 2.
When the dust settled, it was the Chinese who had his hand raised as he escaped Jedrzejczyk with a split decision win.
Check out the fight highlights below:
Take a look at UFC 248 fight results below (via MMA Fighting):
Main Card
Weii Zhang def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk via split decision
Beneil Dariush def. Drakkar Klose via second-round KO (1:00)
Neil Magny def. Li Jingliang via unanimous decision
Alex Oliveira def. Max Griffin via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Undercard
Sean O’Malley def. Jose Quinonez via TKO (strikes) (R1, 2:02)
Mark Madsen def. Austin Hubbard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Rodolfo Vieira def. Saparbek Safarov via sub (arm-triangle choke) (R1, 2:58)
Gerald Meerschaert def. Deron Winn via submission (rear-naked choke) (R3, 2:13)
Giga Chikadze def. Jamall Emmers via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Danaa Batgerel def. Guido Cannetti via KO (punches) (R1, 3:01)
Emily Whitmire vs. Polyana Viana – fight canceled
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ UFC)