UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey was the woman that tipped the dominoes for women’s mixed martial arts in the octagon, but she hasn’t lost sight of the women who have come after her, continuing the forward progress.
Weili Zhang added a new piece to UFC history on Saturday. She became not only the first female Chinese UFC champion in history, but the promotion’s first Chinese champion ever.
Zhang needed just 42 seconds to upset Jessica Andrade, the woman that many thought would hold a long reign over the strawweight division. Despite Andrade running through many of the top women in the division, Zhang looked like she was on another level when she took out the Brazilian on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 15 in Shenzhen, China.
Rousey took notice, singing Zhang’s praises in a post to her Instagram account.
“The future is bright – amazing performance. Congrats champ!” Rousey wrote.
Prior to the fight, Rousey had issued another statement via Instagram, declaring her pride for the way that women’s MMA has grown, particularly taking note of how deep the pool is getting with fighters from all corner’s of the globe.
“I feel like a proud mama watching how women’s MMA has grown. Women from all walks of life, from all over the world are rising to the challenge and showing the world what it means to fight like a girl,” Rousey wrote. “Weili Zhang is a prime example of overcoming adversity – fighting not just through the ranks, but to also get noticed and stand out. I’ve definitely taken notice, and so should you. Best of luck to the ladies fighting August 31 on UFC on ESPN+ 15.”
