Since its establishment in 2014, the UFC Women’s Strawweight division has had a number of champions who have contributed to its success. Zhang Weili remains the champion as of February 2025, having demonstrated a solid defense at UFC 312.
UFC 312 summary
Two championship fights were included in UFC 312, which took place on February 8, 2025, at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Dricus du Plessis, the middleweight champion, successfully defended his title against Sean Strickland in a rematch, with the decision being made by majority vote.
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Zhang Weili was able to keep her strawweight title because of a majority decision after her fight with Tatiana Suarez.
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Zhang Weili’s Title Defense
Zhang Weili demonstrated impressive defensive skills and hitting strength when she defeated Tatiana Suarez in the co-main event. Zhang was able to successfully counter Suarez’s grappling attempts throughout the fight by maintaining control and executing precise punches. Zhang kept her strawweight title when the judges announced that she was the winner of the contest.
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Placing the Strawweight Division in Historical Context
Since the category was established, there have been a number of competitors who have been crowned as champions in the UFC Women’s Strawweight division:
The first champion to be crowned was Carla Esparza, who won the tournament “The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned” in 2014.
Joanna Jędrzejczyk won the title in 2015 and successfully defended it five times, becoming her the longest reigning champion in the class.
Rose Namajunas won everything in 2017, lost it once more in 2020, then once more in 2021.
Jessica Andrade became the champion in 2019, although she was unable to defend her title successfully the first time.
Zhang Weili, the first Chinese champion in the UFC, lost the title in 2021 but regained it in 2022.
Carla Esparza won the second strawweight championship in history in 2022.
Zhang Weili is presently in her second term as champion after successfully defending her title on many occasions, including most recently at UFC 312.
Zhang Weili, the champion of the strawweight class, will be remembered for her performance at UFC 312 as a pivotal moment in the history of mixed martial arts.