On Wednesday, Zhang Weili said at a news conference that spectators should be ready for a “spectacular moment” on Saturday night. Her moment came quickly, as Zhang used a rear naked choke in the second round to win the strawweight championship, her second time winning the title. Zhang cartwheeled around the ring after the win as the crowd erupted.
Carla Esparza is one of the longest-tenured U.F.C. fighters and was the inaugural strawweight champion in 2014, but seemed outmatched on Saturday night. Esparza was booed the entire fight and had been one of the least popular champions among fans because of her unaggressive approach in her last win.
Zhang won the title for the first time in 2019, when she defeated Jéssica Andrade by a first-round knockout, making her the first Chinese-born U.F.C. champion. Zhang lost her title in April 2021 to Rose Namajunas. A win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk in January earned her this title fight.
Zhang’s first title win came in Shenzhen, China, a moment that she has said was one of the best in her life. On Saturday night, the crowd in New York made her feel like she was back in China, she said.
“I felt the same level of support from all of you guys,” she said through an interpreter.