UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza is dealing with injuries and won’t be agreeing to a fight with Zhang Weili at UFC 281 in Abu Dhabi.
Weili (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) scored an incredible spinning backfist knockout that sent Joanna Jedrzejczyk into retirement earlier this month at UFC 275, solidifying her position as the next challenger to Esparza (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC). After the win, Weili called for the fight to happen at the Oct. 22 event, labeling it “fair” neutral territory between the American titleholder and Chinese contender.
Esparza appreciates Weili’s forward-thinking attitude with a firm pitch for their showdown, but the reigning champ is still dealing with nagging injuries in the fallout of her heavily scrutinized title win over Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 in April, and the timeline simply doesn’t fit.
