UFC free fight: Zhang Weili blows up Joanna Jedrzejczyk's head in all-time classic battle

Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk laid it all on the line in arguably the greatest female fight in UFC history.

During her first reign as strawweight champion, Weili defended her title against ex-titleholder Jedrzejczyk by split decision in the co-main event of UFC 248 in March 2020, where both women stood and traded for all five rounds.

The fight is certain to go into the UFC Hall of Fame fight wing eventually, and is one of the key wins on Weili’s (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) resume as she looks for the second title defense in her second reign as 115-pound champion at UFC 300 on April 13 when she takes on Yan Xiaonan (15-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC).

Round 1, the pair started out by exchanging low kicks. Jedrzejczyk landed the first significant strike with a beautiful one-two combination, prompting Weili to ramp up the aggression by throwing heat in the pocket. Weili continued to press forward and appeared to land the more significant shots. She was awarded Round 1 on two of the three judges’ scorecards.

Jedrzejczyk continued to attack Weili’s lead leg in Round 2. Weili attempted to mix things up with a takedown, but Jedrzejczyk shucked her off. Both ladies exchanged blows in the clinch. Shortly after, Weili was able to stumble Jedrzejczyk with a big right hand, followed by a brief takedown. Towards the end of the round, Jedrzejczyk landed a nice left high kick.

Round 3 saw an aggressive start from both fighters. Weili appeared to slow down a little, with Jedrzejczyk landing some of her best shots of the fight. This was the only round that all three judges agreed on, scoring it for Jedrzejczyk, who started developing a massive hematoma on her forehead.

Rounds 4 and 5 saw more high-paced action, but Jedrzejczyk’s forehead was starting to show some serious swelling. That didn’t deter her from pressing forward though as both ladies continued to throw heavy leather in the pocket. The rounds were razor-close, hence the scorecards being all over the place. However, it was Weili who ended up getting the nod via split decision and retaining her title.

Weili meets Xiaonan in the co-main event of the historic UFC 300 event, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Before her next title defense, relive Weili’s battle with Jedrzejczyk in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.