Zhang Weili is back on top of the women's strawweight division. Weili finished Carla Esparza with a rear-naked choke in the co-main event of UFC 281 on Saturday night, becoming champion for the second time in her career.
The first round was highlighted by wild scrambles on the ground. With Zhang applying loads of pressure on the feet, Esparza was able to use her wrestling to test Weili on the ground. The women traded positions several times before Weili was able to get back to her feet, something she was unable to do late in her second bout with Rose Namajunas.
The grappling went even better for Zhang in the second round. As the fight hit the ground, she was able to lock Esparza in a crucifix from the back. With one of Esparza's arms still trapped, Zhang transitioned to a rear-naked choke to force the tap at the 1:05 mark of Round 2.
GIVE HER THE BELT BACK 🏆@MMAWeili recaptures gold at #UFC281!! pic.twitter.com/su4ioC7DIP
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022
It was a dominant performance from Zhang overall, showing improvements in her defensive grappling and eventually grappling the grappler for the finish.
A two-time champion at strawweignt, Esparza completed an unlikely climb back to the top of the mountain in her previous fight, taking a split decision over Namajunas in an odd fight that saw both women put out very little offense.
Zhang had no such hesitation about getting her offense in gear, keeping Esparza on the back foot from the opening bell. She is now 7-2 in the Octagon, her lone UFC losses coming against Namajunas.
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