This weekend in Shenzhen, China, two of the most aggressive and exciting female strawweight fighters will clash for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship.
Jessica Andrade from Brazil will defend the title against fast-rising Chinese star, Weili Zhang. The matchup promises to be an entertaining one considering that both fighters are renowned for competing with a ferocity unlike others in the 115-pound division.
Ahead of this Saturday’s battle in Shenzhen (Sunday morning in the US), we’re here to break down the main event bout and bring you our analysis to help you make educated betting decisions.
UFC Shenzhen Fight Card and Odds
Main Card
- Jessica Andrade (-170) vs. Weili Zhang (+150)
- Elizeu Zaleski (-275) vs. Jingliang Li (+235)
- Mark De La Rosa (+170) vs. Kai Kara-France (-200)
- Zhenhong Lu (+550) vs. Movsar Evloev (-800)
- Yanan Wu (+120) vs. Mizuki Inoue (-140)
Preliminary Card
- Kenan Song (-115) vs. Derrick Krantz (-105)
- Anthony Hernandez (-155) vs. Jun Yong Park (+135)
- Andre Soukhamthath (-155) vs. Su Mudaerji (+135)
- Da Un Jung (+220) vs. Khadis Ibragimov (-260)
- Damir Ismagulov (-175) vs. Thiago Moisés (+155)
- Karol Rosa (-110) vs. Lara Procópio (-110)
- Batgerel Danaa (-105) vs. Heili Alateng (-115)
Jessica Andrade vs. Weili Zhang
Jessica Andrade is a remarkably strong and powerful competitor in the 115-pound division. The Brazilian has carried her strength from the prior years where she competed as high as 135-pounds. After not having the success she so desired in that category, Andrade made the move down to strawweight where she has proven to be an unusually terrifying opponent. In her most recent fight, Andrade stunned fans after she slammed Rose Namajunas on her head in the second round and captured the title.
Now that the UFC has created a 125-pound division to fill the gap between strawweight and bantamweight, Andrade wants to become the UFC’s first three-division champion by defending her title against Zhang before then moving up to take belts from Valentina Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes.
Weili Zhang’s fast rise to a title shot is somewhat questionable considering that there’s still a line of top competitors waiting to have another shot at the UFC Strawweight Championship, but the reasons for this accelerated path to the top are no secret. A win for the Chinese competitor this weekend would help the UFC push into the notoriously difficult Chinese market.
But despite not rolling through the rankings as others have done before, Zhang’s talent isn’t under question. Like Andrade, she’s powerful and aggressive and she makes for a truly difficult task for anyone in the division right now.
Jessica Andrade vs. Weili Zhang Odds
Fight Breakdown
The vast majority of pundits are expecting a fun scrap between these two fighters.
In some ways, there are similarities between Jessica Andrade and Weili Zhang. Andrade is a bulldozer who marches forward, hoping to close the distance and punish the opponent with takedowns (and slams) from against the cage. She relies on her physical strength to bully her opponent, more so than fundamental techniques such as well-timed long punches, effective cage cutting, other forms of pressure fighting.
Seemingly no one comes close to matching the strength of Andrade in the women’s strawweight division, but if anyone comes close, it may be Zhang. The Chinese rising star handled the physicality and technique of Tecia Torres well enough to jump into this title challenge afterward. She’s not an incredible striker by any means, but she does have some tools, such as a decent kicking game, that could help keep Andrade away. Those kicks to the legs of the champion and some well-placed knees to the body could be enough to slow Andrade down and keep her from storming forward.
Andrade’s striking power could be enough to finish Zhang on the feet. She’s John Lineker-esque in the sense that she almost exclusively throws wild power hooks and doesn’t come in with punches that can actually help set up those power shots. Zhang’s defense isn’t all that great, either, as she has taken some heavy right hands from Danielle Taylor and Tecia Torres in past fights. But on that note, Andrade isn’t the best defensively, too.
Although Andrade lacks cage cutting skills, it’s likely that she can back Zhang up enough to engage with her against the cage. From this clinch position, we’re yet to see how Zhang performs. She has showcased decent outside trips in past fights and also has the strength to adequately defend Andrade’s attempts, but for how long? And that’s the ultimate question as we approach UFC Shenzhen.
We expect Zhang to look good early before then slowing down in rounds two and three. Andrade is seeking a quick finish but may need to wait until the middle rounds to get Zhang out of there in front of her fans in China.
Bet on Jessica Andrade to win: -160 at Bovada
Read More:
- Beginner’s Guide to UFC Betting
- What’s different between weight classes in the UFC?
- 5 MMA Betting Experts Talk UFC Gambling Strategies, Advice, and Best Tips
- The 5 Most Shocking Upsets in UFC Title Fight History
Jake is a mixed martial arts reporter from Australia. At WagerBop, he merges his appreciation of combat sports and a strong passion for analytics to uncover opportunities for readers.
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