Zhang Weili‘s coach John Wood believes that she could go back to strawweight and reclaim the championship from Mackenzie Dern.
In her most recent outing, Zhang Weili failed in her attempt to claim the UFC women’s flyweight championship from Valentina Shevchenko. While it was a valiant effort, she ultimately couldn’t quite overcome the size difference, with Valentina controlling the majority of the fight. Ever since then, many have wondered what’s next for Zhang, especially given that she vacated the strawweight title in pursuit of a second belt.
Since then, Mackenzie Dern has become the new champion by defeating Virna Jandiroba in the co-main event of UFC 321. Of course, even in the immediate aftermath of her victory, a lot of people were questioning whether or not Zhang Weili would move back down and ultimately try and reclaim what was once hers.
In a recent interview, Zhang Weili’s coach John Wood had the following to say on the matter.
Zhang Weili’s coach on her MMA future
“There’s obviously a clear cut path to go back and take that title from Mackenzie — no disrespect to Mackenzie,” Wood said about the potential fight. “That’s Weili’s belt.
“A lot of people looking at that and obviously that’s the fight to make. We’ll see what she wants to do.”
Quotes via MMA Fighting
Zhang has plenty of options on the table depending on what exactly she wants to do, but Dern will certainly be aware of the size of the challenge in front of her if this is the fight that winds up being booked. Both women have a very particular set of skills, but after Zhang’s performance against Tatiana Suarez, you would anticiapte that she will fancy her chances against just about anyone at strawweight on the ground – even if it is the new champion.