UFC 248 Staff Predictions: Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk

UFC 248 will go down tomorrow night (Sat. March 7, 2020) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans will witness the first title defence of strawweight champion Weili Zhang who will face off against bitter rival and former titlist Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the co-main event of the evening.

UFC 248 Staff Predictions

Abinhav Kini: I am edging towards Joanna coming out on top in a closely-contested five-round war. Zhang is the favorite for a reason and is one of the best fighters in the world. However, I feel Joanna has a fire in her that will help her become champion again. (Prediction: Joanna Jedrzejczyk)

Cole Shelton: Zhang vs. Joanna might be the most intriguing fight on this card for me. Although Zhang is the champ, she’s only 4-0 and really only fought one top-tier strawweight so how good she truly is, is still uncertain. In this fight, I think the champ will start out strong and win the early rounds but Joanna will come back strong and win the final three rounds to edge out a decision and become the new strawweight champion (Prediction: Joanna Jedrzejczyk)

Ryan Galloway: In the Co-Main event at UFC 248, Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk I believe Zhang gets it done in the first round via TKO. The power she carries, her pressure combined with the ability to bait her opponents in will prove to be too much for Joanna. I think we will see a quick one. (Prediction: Weili Zhang)  

Timmy Moran: The most exciting fight on the card according to Dana White comes in the co-main event between the champion Zang Weili and the former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Dana has good reason to be excited because the Zhang and Joanna will happily exchange on the feet as well as the ground. Although Joanna has the experience edge in title fights, Zhang represents the new era of strawweights and will succeed in her first title defense. (Prediction: Weili Zhang)

Jordan Ellis: Joanna Jedrzejczyk has looked excellent for about 95% of her UFC run. The former strawweight queen has only fallen to Rose Namajunas and Valentina Shevchenko. So, the question is do I think Weili Zhang is of the same calibre? The answer no. Unless Zhang comes out fast and catches Jedrzejczyk cold early I can’t see her winning. I pick Jedrzejczyk to regain her title over five rounds. (Prediction: Joanna Jedrzejczyk)