UFC 281: Carla Esparza vs. Weili Zhang preview & prediction

UFC 281: Carla Esparza vs. Weili Zhang preview.

The women’s strawweight title will be up for the taking this Saturday at the world’s famous Madison Square Garden, where the two-time champion Carla Esparza (19-6 ) will be defending  her crown against the former champion, Weili Zhang (22-3 ). The women’s bout will serve as the co-main event for UFC 281 and it will be the first encounter between these two fighters.

Esparza, as the inaugural women’s 125 lbs. champ, has been in this position before and with a win, she would finally earn her first title defense. With six straight wins, stemming from 2019, including five decisions and one stoppage, she is looking to make a statement after one of the most lackluster and odd title fights when she defeated Rose Namajunas earlier in the year.

The first Chinese UFC champion returns after successfully earning a title shot when she brutally knocked out Joanna Jędrzejczyk via a spinning backfist in round two this past June. The No. 2 ranked Zhang will strive to become the third woman in the UFC to regain a championship and the eighth strawweight champion. According to WynnBet, the challenger is the current betting odds favorite listed at (-330), while the champion is a sizeable underdog at (+270).

Who will win at UFC 281: Carla Esparza vs. Weili Zhang 

The matchup between these two strawweights consists of your typical wrestler versus striker matchup where someone will show who has the edge early on. If Esparza can takedown Zhang in the early rounds, the champion will be at a sizeable advantage considering her opponent has shown trouble scrambling or getting back up if her back is on the mat. Zhang is capable of defending takedowns, but to do say she has to forward pressure or implement lateral movement if Esparza is the aggressor during the fight.

The former champion, Zhang, has the upper hand in striking and will bring the action early with significant strikes and calf kicks. In her recent matchups against Jędrzejczyk and Namajunas, she has intelligently and strategically inserted wrestling takedowns into her game plans, however, with Esparza’s wrestling credentials it’s unlikely she will have success on that end.

Two possible results stand out for Saturday’s night championship bout and those are- Zhang by TKO/KO or Esparza via decision. In this matchup, I favor Zhang’s excellent striking, respectable takedown defense, and footwork, over the champ’s wrestling and grittiness.

Prediction- Zhang via round 3 TKO/KO

UFC 281: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira takes place on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, live from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. Follow along with FanSided MMA, who is on-site, for all your news and highlights.