UFC: Rose Namajunas (+100) Vs Zhang Weili $$$
Namajunas needed only 78 seconds to knock out Weili this past April at UFC 261 with a head kick that shocked all of China. I successfully predicted this result before it happened on my Daily Picks page.
For all the same reasons and more this is likely to end with a similar result of Rose having her hand risen and the belt wrapped around her waist. Namajunas was a (+170) dog in that fight and still dominated. For some reason that I simply cannot comprehend, she is still listed as an underdog for the second meeting.
Rose is simply the better striker in this matchup, period. I know everyone is super impressed with the power Weili possesses, but that doesn’t mean she is going to hit Namajunas consistently. If the fight goes the full 5 rounds and to the judges, I do not see how Weili thinks she is going to win. Rose is simply too good at distance control and is a master of avoiding the big power shots.
Both women a very good on the ground and there isn’t likely to be a significant advantage for either there, but I do expect this to be primarily a striking match. Zhang has an enormous ego and I expect her to stand and pound attempting to get revenge for the previous beatdown she took.
Having said that, I have to question Weili’s mental toughness. She made all kinds of excuses for losing the previous fight. She claimed it was a bad stoppage, which it was not. She claimed the crowd was against her, but so what? She claimed to be distracted by the sight of Weidman’s broken leg. She never once gave Namajunas credit or even considered she was an inferior fighter. I wonder what excuses she will give for this match if she loses.
Lastly, I would question the chin of Weili. While the head kick that knocked her down was hard and clean, she did go out quite easily. I wonder just how much damage she took in her fight against Jedrzejczyk. Sometimes battles such as that can have long-term detrimental effects. Now add another knockout on top of that, and Weili may be susceptible to getting knocked out again.
I see a second or third-round stoppage for Namajunas as the most likely ending and will be making this a premium play.
