Two incredibly anticipated title bouts top off the card in Las Vegas this weekend at UFC 248. World middleweight champion Israel Adesanya takes on #3 Yoel Romero, and China’s history-making first world champion Zhang Weili defends her strawweight belt for the first time against former champion and #4 ranked Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
MIDDLEWEIGHT THRILLER: UNDEFEATED MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION ISRAEL ADESANYA GOES FOR ANOTHER SHOW-STEALING PERFORMANCE AGAINST NO. 3 RANKED CONTENDER YOEL ROMERO
- Israel Adesanya (18-0, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand by way of Lagos, Nigeria) aims to kick off his 2020 with another highlight-reel finish to secure his first successful title defense
- UFC middleweight champion and No. 6 ranked men’s pound-for-pound fighter
- 14 wins via knockout
- Seven first-round finishes
- 75-4 kickboxing record (29 KOs)
- Holds wins over Robert Whittaker, Kelvin Gastelum and Anderson Silva
- Yoel Romero (13-4, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba) looks to achieve his destiny by capturing UFC gold
- No. 3 ranked UFC middleweight contender
- 11 wins via knockout
- Four first-round finishes
- 2000 Olympics silver medal winner in freestyle wrestling
- Holds KO wins over former champions Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida
STRAWWEIGHT CLASSIC: STRAWWEIGHT CHAMPION ZHANG WEILI WILL TAKE ON THE TOUGHEST TEST OF HER CAREER WHEN SHE MEETS FORMER TITLEHOLDER AND NO. 4 RANKED CONTENDER JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK
- Zhang Weili (20-1, fighting out of Beijing, China) hopes to secure her first successful title defense against the former strawweight queen
- UFC strawweight champion and No. 3 ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighter
- 10 wins by KO, seven by submission
- 11 first-round finishes
- On a 20-fight win streak
- Holds wins over Jessica Andrade, Tecia Torres and Jessica Aguilar
- Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-3, fighting out of Olsztyn, Poland) hopes to further add to her legacy by becoming the first fighter to reclaim the UFC’s 115-pound championship
- No. 4 ranked strawweight contender and No. 5 women’s pound-for-pound fighter
- Four wins by KO, one by submission
- Most wins in UFC women’s strawweight history (10)
- Former strawweight champion (five successful title defenses)
- Holds wins over Michelle Waterson, Claudia Gadelha (twice) and Carla Esparza
Other fights on UFC 248:
- In an exciting lightweight bout, Beneil Dariush (17-4-1, fighting out of Yorba Linda, California) squares off with Drakkar Klose (11-1-1, fighting out of Glendale, California)
- Welterweight veteran Neil Magny (21-8, fighting out of Denver, Colorado) meets surging Li Jingliang (16-5, fighting out of Beijing, China)
- Fan favorite Alex Oliveira (19-8-1 2NC, fighting out of Tres Rios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) faces Max Griffin (15-7, fighting out of Sacramento, California) in an exciting welterweight bout
- Undefeated Dana White’s Contender Series signee Sean O’Malley (10-0, fighting out of Glendale, Arizona) returns against Jose Quinones (9-3, fighting out of Tlaltenango, Zacatecas, Mexico)
- Olympic silver medalist wrestler Mark O. Madsen (9-0, fighting out of Maribo, Denmark by way of Nykøbing Falster, Denmark) goes for another impressive finish against Austin Hubbard (11-3, fighting out of Denver, Colorado)
- Unbeaten grappling ace Rodolfo Vieira (6-0, fighting out of Orlando, Florida by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on Saparbek Safarov (9-2, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia)
- Gerald Meerschaert (29-12, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin) aims to rebound against Deron Winn (6-1, fighting out of Gilroy, California)
- Emily Whitmire (4-3, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada) takes on Polyana Viana (10-4, fighting out of Sao Geraldo do Araguaia, Para, Brazil) in a strawweight bout
- Giga Chikadze (8-2, fighting out of Tbilisi, Georgia) looks to build off his successful debut when he steps in on short notice to meet Jamall Emmers (17-4, fighting out of Redlands, California)
- Danaa Batgerel (6-2, fighting out of Erdenetsagaan, Sukhbaatar, Mongolia) faces Guido Cannetti (8-4, fighting out of San Antonio de Padua, Buenos Aires, Argentina) in a bantamweight bout