Dana White, the president of UFC, shared his impressions of the title fight between Kyrgyzstani Valentina Shevchenko and Chinese fighter Weili Zhang, which took place at UFC 322 in New York.
White noted: "I saw the podcast where you said this fight definitely wouldn't be boring, but in the end, Valentina just 'steamrolled' her. How do you comment on that?"
He replied: "I expected Weili, like a little pit bull, to show herself much stronger. One of my friends texted me after the fight: 'That's why we have divisions.'
The publication "Championship" described the course of the fight as follows:
At first glance, Weili Zhang seemed to be a formidable opponent for Shevchenko. Before UFC 322, the Chinese fighter was on a five-fight winning streak and decided to try herself in a higher weight class. Her impressive grappling, diverse striking, and excellent endurance created the impression that it would be tough for Valentina. Some experts raised the question of Shevchenko's possible fatigue, but it is worth noting that Weili is only a year younger than her and has the same number of professional fights.
The fight began cautiously: both athletes worked on their feet, not rushing into attacks. Toward the end of the second minute, Valentina successfully executed a takedown after a well-placed knee strike to the body, but Zhang quickly escaped from the ground position. This was followed by grappling at the fence, during which Shevchenko once again toppled her opponent and confidently controlled the situation, taking the first round. In the second round, the Chinese fighter attempted to attack, but Valentina easily took her down again, where she fully took the initiative, trying to finish the fight early and secured another round.
Shevchenko continued to act confidently, not rushing to finish the fight. Before the third round, her coaches warned Zhang about the need to avoid takedowns. However, Weili could not boast of success in striking: although she was moving actively, there were not many accurate strikes. Nevertheless, Valentina managed to execute another takedown and controlled her opponent until the end of the round, although it was quite even.
In the fourth round, Weili took several body shots and reacted painfully to them, possibly sustaining a rib injury. On her feet, the Chinese fighter was less active, and although she tried to attack, her speed and accuracy did not match Valentina's level. With a minute and a half left in the round, Weili fell for another throw and found herself underneath Shevchenko, who secured another round.
In the final round, Zhang understood that she needed to finish, as a victory by decision was unlikely. She launched a sharp attack, but Valentina, making wise decisions, brought the fight to clinch, avoiding unnecessary risks. Shevchenko continued to attack body strikes and once again took her opponent down, controlling her until the very end of the fight. As a result, a unanimous decision from the judges in favor of Valentina Shevchenko!
