Two years after their memorable fight of the year, Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk met on Saturday night at UFC 275 in Singapore.
Weili won flawlessly with a knockout in the second round on a knock-over punch that brutally sent Jedrzejczyk to the floor.
“I was calm before this fight. It was a fight with myself, not against Joanna. When I’m true to myself, I can beat anyone,” said Weili, hoping to get his chance at the title against new strawweight champion Carla Esparza.
Jedrzejczyk, one of the best fighters in history, announced her retirement with great emotion.Â
She concluded her career with a 16-5 record, having ruled the division from 2015 to 2017 (five successful title defenses) by regularly stringing together noteworthy performances that contributed to the discipline’s success in the women’s UFC.
“I love life, but I have to retire. Thank you for all the support I received. I will be 35 this year; I want to become a mother and a businesswoman.
I trained for 20 years; I practiced this profession for more than half of my life, “said the former champion leaving her gloves in the center of the octagon.
“I’m proud of myself. I trained very hard for five months for this fight every day. That’s what people don’t always see.Â
She surprised me with the reversed blow, which still resonates in my head. I knew it was going to be hard, and she was going to throw a lot of shots, but I didn’t expect this level so intense,” she added, visibly shaken.
The two women started the show in force as expected. Weili did damage by hammering her rival with a blow while holding the latter’s right leg to put her out of balance against the grid.Â
The Chinese brought the fight to the ground, and Jedrzejczyk continued to cash in. The two women got up briefly before returning to the mat, with Weili demonstrating his physical strength by taking the full-mounted position.Â
Jedrzejczyk narrowly escaped but was outclassed in the first round despite some good straights.
Known for her excellent cardio, the Pole was visibly slowed down in the second assault while Weili was in splendid form. This is where Weili gave the stunner blow.
The last time Jedrzejczyk fought was at UFC 248 in 2020, and she had already hinted at the end of her career before that fight.
Weili has a 1-2 record (two losses to Rose Namajunas) since her split-decision win over Jedrzejczyk.
