It didn’t take long for Zhang Weili to make history.
Just one year into her tenure with the promotion, Weili (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) earned a shot at strawweight champion Jessica Andrade at UFC on ESPN+ 15 in her home country of China.
Weili started out throwing a few leg kicks, but right away, Andrade pressed forward looking to exchange in the pocket. As she was backpedaling, Weili managed to clip a charging Andrade with a counter right hand that spelled the beginning of the end for the champion.
After a rocked Andrade initiated a clinch, she was met with numerous hard knees from Weili, followed by a barrage of punches that sent her tumbling to the other side of the octagon while referee Leon Roberts stepped in to stop the fight. It took Weili only 42 seconds to become the first Chinese champion in UFC history, and she did it on home soil.
The new 115-pound champ returns to action Saturday in the UFC 248 co-main event, where she will attempt her first title defense against former strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
UFC 248 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Check out Zhang’s title victory over Andrade in the video above.
UFC 248 free fight: Zhang Weili steamrolls Jessica Andrade, becomes UFC's first Chinese champion
