UFC 248: Dana White thinks Zhang Weili can match Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey for star power
- ‘When you’re trying to build somebody into a star there’s a pattern to what you do,’ says UFC president White
- ‘We did it with Conor, we did in with Ronda, we’ve done it with all the greats. And we’re gonna do it with her’
The buzz in the room was still palpable hours after Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk staged their two-woman war and UFC boss Dana White wasn’t mincing his words when asked how he thought the fight ranked, all-time.
“My phone was blowing up [with] everybody saying it was the greatest fight they’ve ever seen,” he told the post-fight press conference. “Right here off the top of my head I would have to say it was the best women’s MMA fight I’ve ever seen.”
Zhang (21-1) took the split decision over Jedrzejczyk (16-4) after five rounds of constant attack, that lifted the packed T-Mobile Arena to its feet, and ensured the Chinese fighter held on to her UFC strawweight crown. The pair left the cage to thunderous applause, battered and bruised and – by Sunday – thankfully out of hospital after observation with no significant damage done.
It’s fair to say American fans came in not really knowing what to expect from Zhang, who had stunned the MMA world in lifting the strawweight title from Brazilian Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (20-7), but before that was still pretty much a mystery.
Saturday night’s effort, when she took everything thrown at her by the greatest strawweight the game has seen – previously – left no one in any doubt about the talent the UFC has at his disposal with the 30-year-old Chinese fighter.