Weili Zhang Believes Joanna Jedrzejczyk Is 'Not As Good' As During Her Title Reign

Newly-crowned UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang is not too high on the current status of her predecessor, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, once thought the pound-for-pound best woman in MMA.

Zhang recently suggested that former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is currently not at the level she was compared to the fighter that successfully defended the 115-pound belt five times between 2015 and 2017. Zhang made headlines late last month when she captured the strawweight belt by finishing former champion Jessica Andrade in just 42 seconds at UFC Fight Night 157 in Shenzhen, China.

The 30-year-old, who is riding a 20-fight winning streak, provided her thoughts on next month’s pivotal match up in the women’s 115-pound division when Jedrzejczyk takes on Michelle Waterson in the main event at UFC Florida.

Zhang believes that Jedrzejczyk is not on the same level as she was when she ruled the division several years ago and says Waterson can expose her next month provided she comes adequately prepared (via MMAMania.com):

“Joanna is a very good striker, she has very fast hand speed,” Zhang said through her interpreter. “But right now, she’s not as good as when she was champion. If Michelle (Waterson) has the right game plan, she can win this fight as well.”

Jedrzejczyk is coming off a one-sided loss to Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant UFC women's flyweight title back in December.

The 33-year-old Waterson comes into next month’s fight riding a three-fight winning streak with impressive wins over the likes of Felice Herrig and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. A win over Jedrzejczyk would likely guarantee a first UFC title shot for “The Karate Hottie.”