CHINESE fighter Zhang Weili failed to defend her strawweight title when she lost to American challenger Rose Namajunas during the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 261 event in Jacksonville, Florida, the United States, on Saturday.

The stunning result produced wildly different reactions from both fighters as Namajunas, 28, fell to her knees in tears of joy. Zhang (21-2), meanwhile, vehemently protested the stoppage of referee Keith Peterson and didn’t let up during the post-fight interview.

“I feel I can come back real quick. This was not what I planned to say,” Zhang said. “I am still conscious. The referee stoppage was a little bit early.”

Despite the protest of the UFC’s first Chinese champion, Namajunas’ left kick appeared to shake Zhang’s consciousness before a trio of hammer strikes produced the stoppage.

The victory concluded an emotional journey for Namajunas, which began with a violent 2019 loss to Jessica Andrade to end her first title reign after Namajunas was slammed on her head and knocked out. After openly contemplating retirement, Rose returned last July to outlast Andrade in a bloody rematch via split decision.

“I am the best!” Namajunas said. “I did it again. I really just had to have faith in God and that’s what got me through.”

Zhang, 31, entered the Octagon for the first time in 13 months since edging former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a brutal five-round thriller. It was clear in the early going against Namajunas that Zhang’s plan was to slow down her lateral movement by constantly working inside calf kicks.

(SD-Agencies)