Getty Weili Zhang punches Joanna Jedrzejczyk during her split decision win to retain her strawweight title at T-Mobile Arena on March 07, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the co-main event of UFC 248, perhaps the greatest women’s MMA title fight in history took place. For five straight rounds, UFC Strawweight Champion Zhang “Magnum” Weili and challenger Joanna Jedrzejczyk traded punishing blows from pillar to post. The fight was a back-and-forth striking masterpiece that left both women bruised, battered, and with a claim to get their hand raised.
In the end, Magnum retained her belt via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47), successfully defending her title for the first time.
Many fighters attended the event, and after the fifth rounded ended, they showed their respect and appreciation for their fellow mixed martial artists. Here is a video via ESPN MMA:
Fighters give Zhang Weili and @joannamma a standing ovation after the final bell rings in the #UFC248 battle
In the video, fans can spot UFC veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, former UFC featherweight champ Max “Blessed” Holloway, top lightweight contender Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje, UFC bantamweight champ Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo, UFC welterweight champ Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman, No. 1 ranked light heavyweight Dominick “The Devastator” Reyes and top heavyweight Francis “The Predator” Ngannou.
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Magnum Adds on to Her Sensational Win Streak, Jedrzejczyk Loses 4th Title Fight
Zhang was victorious on March 7 and she added to her 20-fight win streak. Magnum lost her first ever professional MMA bout, but since that loss in 2013 she has rattled off 21 straight wins. The strawweight champ also improved her UFC record to 5-0.
Jedrzejczyk put on a championship performance at UFC 248, but it wasn’t enough to earn the nod from the judges. Since losing her strawweight belt to Rose “Thug” Namajunas at UFC 217 in November of 2017, Jedrzejczyk has lost three other title fights.
She dropped the decision in a rematch with Thug, lost her bid to win the vacant women’s flyweight title against Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko and now she lost to Zhang in a fight to reclaim the belt she once called her own.
It’s unclear where Jedrzejczyk goes from here, but it’s likely her stock doesn’t drop much with the loss to Magnum. It was a first-rate performance, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the two women were to meet inside the Octagon again.
UFC 248’s Main Event Didn’t Receive the Same Reaction as the Co-Main
The main event of UFC 248 featured UFC Middleweight Champion Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya defending his belt against Yoel “Solider of God” Romero. Adesanya earned the victory via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, and 49-46) over the Soldier of God, but the fight left many fans dissatisfied.
The bout was contested predominantly on the feet, but over the five rounds there was very little action. Boos poured through the T-Mobile Arena during the bout, as well as during The Last Stylebender’s post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
Adesanya improved his undefeated record to 19-0, and the Soldier of God’s record fell to 13-5.
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