UFC 268: Rose Namajunas vs. Weili Zhang 2 preview and prediction

UFC 268: Rose Namajunas vs. Weili Zhang 2 match-up preview and fight prediction.

UFC 268 goes down Saturday from Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. The co-main event sees the rematch between the two-time and current UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas, and the former champion Weili Zhang.

Namajunas shocked the world in April by defeating Zhang with a head kick knockout in just over a minute at UFC 261. The win for Namajunas came as an almost 2-1 underdog as she became the first female two-time champion in UFC history.

The stoppage loss was the first for Zhang in her MMA career and the first since her MMA debut back in 2013. Now, just eight months later, Zhang will look to become a two-time champion in her own right, by regaining her title on Saturday in New York City.

UFC 268: Rose Namajunas vs. Weili Zhang 2 preview

Namajunas comes in as the slight even-money underdog in the rematch, which is familiar territory for the 29-year-old from Wisconsin. She is undefeated in rematches in her MMA career, with bounce-back wins over Tecia Torres and Jessica Andrade, as well as her back-to-back upset victories over former UFC strawweight champion, Joanna Jędrzejczyk.

As for Zhang, the 32-year-old out of China holds wins over each of those previously mentioned women in succession. Zhang had a steep rise to strawweight supremacy, disposing of Andrade in just 42 seconds to win the strawweight championship back in 2019. Of course, her most memorable UFC fight was her epic five-round battle with Jędrzejczyk at UFC 248, a fight that many observers thought she may have lost.

While Namajunas is the slightly younger fighter, she holds the more extensive UFC record at 8-3, with five of her eight wins coming by way of stoppage. Zhang is 5-1 in her UFC career, with just two stoppage wins to her name in the octagon.

The path to victory for Zhang in the rematch is to keep at a distance from Namajunas, who is a precision striker and a highly intelligent point fighter. If Zhang is goaded into another striking battle with Namajunas, it will likely turn out similar to the first match-up.

Zhang should utilize her strengths in this match-up, which are her wrestling and her clinch ability, especially against the cage. While Namajunas holds her own in these areas, the edge is unquestionable in the favor of Zhang.

Apart from simply being undefeated in rematches, Namajunas has won all three of those rematches by way of decision. This shows that not only is Namajunas a very adaptable and strategic fighter but that she is also able to be patient and precise when the stakes are the highest.

Prediction: Namajunas by decision.

UFC 268 takes place on Saturday, Nov. 6, live from Madison Square Garden, New York. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.