WASHINGTON – Song Yadong doesn’t think the UFC’s strawweight champion will lose her belt in her next title defense.
The Team Alpha Male fighter, who’s set to compete at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C., against Cody Stamann, thinks Zhang Weili will defeat Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her first title defense, scheduled for UFC 248 in March.
It’s hard to deny that Weili is a threat to anyone competing at 115 pounds, but Yadong (14-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) sees Weili being better on the feet than Jedrzejczyk, who’s known to be one of the best strikers in women’s MMA.
“I believe she’s going to win her next fight,” Yadong said at Thursday’s media day for UFC DC. “She is faster, stronger, and she has better striking technique compared to her opponent.”
Yadong, who like Weili is also from China, says things have changed back home ever since Zhang was able to dethrone then-champion Jessica Andrade in August.
“After Weili got her UFC title, there is more interest in getting to know UFC and MMA,” Yadong said. “More people now know China has its own champion, so it was a big improvement for MMA in China after she won.”
For more from Yadong, check out the full video interview above.