Carla Esparza to Defend Strawweight Crown at UFC 281 Against Zhang Weili

UFC 281 likely now has a co-main event, as reigning women's strawweight champion Carla Esparza will defend against former division ruler Zhang Weili at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 12.

Esparza, 19-6, revealed the pairing on her verified Instagram account Thursday afternoon. The bout has not been confirmed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship as of publication time.

Esparza recently regained the strawweight title for a second time by defeating Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 via split decision, in what was widely considered one of the dullest title fights in mixed martial arts history. Esparza extended her winning streak to six with the crown-clinching performance.

Weili, meanwhile, dispatched of strawweight legend and long-time champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in spectacular fashion at UFC 276 with a spinning back-fist in Round 2. Prior to that, Weili had lost two title fights against Namajunas. Esparza initially announced that she wanted to defend the title in 2023 due to injury, but is apparently good to go for the end of the year.

UFC 281 will be headlined by a middleweight title fight pitting Israel Adesanya against Alex Pereira; the pair has already met twice under kickboxing rules, with the Brazilian taking both contests. “Poatan” won via decision in 2016 and left the Nigerian-born New Zealander unconscious in 2017.