UFC women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili made her return to the Octagon at UFC 292. She fought one of the most versatile fighters in the division, Amanda Lemos. However, the Brazilian fighter fell short in the co-main event of the PPV, just like many of the others before her. The Chinese champion ran through Lemos and kicked off her second title reign in style!
Fans expected Lemos to be an underdog coming into the fight. However, Lemos almost pulled off a major upset in the very first round itself when she locked in a chokehold at the end. But fortunately for Weili. she escapes and puts on a masterclass! She came very close to finishing the bout many times throughout the 25 minutes of the fight. To Amanda Lemos’ credit, she survived the domination, but only to fall short of the judges’ cards.
Doesn’t get more dominant than that 👏 #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/vBk4AmKiVc
— UFC (@ufc) August 20, 2023
The three judges scored the bout 50-43, 50-44, and 49-45. Combined, the three judges scored four 10-8 rounds between them for the champions. Hence, it just proves how dominant the champion was against her opponent at UFC 292. While a majority of fans online are in awe of Zhang Weili, some are also appreciative of Lemos’ durability.
Talking to social media X, one fan praised Weili and wrote, “I don’t see anyone in the division capable of beating her.” Another fan echoed the same sentiment and wrote, “Still the Champ what a schooling that was.” One fan pointed out the dominant nature of the contest and wrote, “What a massacre.” However, there was some love for Lemos amongst the fanbase as one user wrote, “Props to Lemos for not getting finished after that one-sided fight.”
Zhang Weili vs Amanda Lemos at UFC 292: Punching stats
If the judges’ scorecards did not paint a picture of how dominant the performance from Zhang Weili really was, let’s take a look at the stats of the fight. In total, Zhang Weili landed 296 total strikes and 163 significant strikes as per UFC Stats.
In shocking contrast, Lemos managed a mere 29 total strikes and 24 significant strikes across five rounds. In terms of grappling, Weili aka Magnum, managed to land 6 out of the 7 attempted takedowns. With that, Weili now holds the record for the biggest striking differential in the history of UFC’s female division.
THESE STRIKE TOTALS 🤯 #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/JGBqFit5zY
— UFC (@ufc) August 20, 2023
With this spectacular win, Zhang Weili improves her MMA record to 24-3. She has gone through almost all the contenders in the division and has wins over the likes of Carla Esparza, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Jessica Andrade, and Tecia Torres. However, one fighter who has gotten the better of her twice is Rose Namajunas. So it will be interesting to see if Rose returns to the Octagon against a familiar opponent in the future or not.