How Many Times Has Zhang Weili Lost in MMA? UFC Stats & Record

Zhang Weili‘s status as a two-time UFC strawweight champion is a testament to how consistent she’s been throughout her career. Having recorded dozens of victories, she’s still at the top of her game even at 35 years old. However, there are still a few blemishes in Weili’s MMA record which came against some world-class competition.

Currently, in her second run as the strawweight champion, Zhang Weili has another contender stepping up to fight for her title in the form of undefeated grappling juggernaut Tatiana Suarez, who’s seeking to realize her dream. But before she steps inside the cage along with her American counterpart, here’s a look at the few occasions when ‘magnum’ came up a little bit short.

Who has Zhang Weili lost to? Rose Namajunas and more

After going 3-0 since her debut, Zhang Weili, in only her fourth UFC fight, became the strawweight champion for the first time, just like light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. At that time, another fighter was on the rise, Rose Namajunas, who’d ultimately end ‘Magnum’s undefeated run in the UFC. At UFC 261, the first UFC event on US soil to have full attendance post-COVID, Weili, and ‘Thug Rose’ clashed in the co-main event, which was one of the three title fights on the card.

Much to the crowd’s delight, who was on the challenger’s side, Namajunas head-kicked Weili to secure a KO finish in the first round, dethroning the champion in her second-ever UFC title defense. Later, ‘Magnum’ claimed that the crowd heavily favoring her opponent may have pressured her and cost her the win. Unfortunately for the Chinese star, the same outcome would repeat in the rematch.

Weili fought Namajunas a second time at UFC 268 and put up a great fight in comparison to the first one. She even trained under fellow UFC star and former double champion Henry Cejudo in preparation. However, that was not enough as ‘Thug’ edged past ‘Magnum’ via a split decision. But that is not the only loss the Chinese powerhouse has to her name. She has suffered a third non-Namajunas loss, which, interestingly, came before her time in the UFC.

Before her advent in the UFC, Zhang Weili fought for multiple other promotions. Out of the 28 fights she has competed in so far, only 10 have been in the UFC. Her first professional loss also came in another promotion in her first-ever MMA fight. Weili made her MMA debut in 2013 in the China MMA League, but it did not turn out in her favor. Weili’s first opponent was Bo Meng, who now holds a professional record of 21 wins and 7 losses and fights under the ONE Championship banner.

Incidentally, the pair made their debuts against each other. The fight ended in Meng’s favor, who earned a unanimous decision win over ‘Magnum’. Nevertheless, her ability to come back stronger has helped Zhang Weili make her one of the best ever in MMA. Now that we’ve learned about her shortcomings, let’s take a look at the positive aspects of her MMA career.

Zhang Weili’s MMA record and stats

If we take a look at her record, we automatically get the idea that she’s arguably one of the best female fighters to ever grace the Octagon as she boasts 25 wins with only the aforementioned three losses. Among her 25 wins, 11 of them have come via knockouts while 8 of them have been submission victories. As such, Weili has a 76 percent finishing rate.

But that’s not all! Zhang Weili, with her two title reigns and overall three title defenses, carries the record of having the second-most title fights in the UFC’s strawweight division. Also, who can forget? ‘Magnum’ is not only China’s first UFC champion but Asia’s as well. There’s no doubt that she’s the biggest ambassador for the sport on her continent.

While she wanted to become a fighter, MMA wasn’t the first thing that piqued her interest. Let’s take a look at that story.

How did Zhang Weili start fighting?

Despite having a father who worked as a miner and a mother who was simply a homemaker, Zhang Weili’s parents wanted her to learn how to defend herself should she find herself in a tough predicament. When she was six years old, ‘Magnum’ started her combat training and the first time she fought professionally was as a kickboxer. However, there is a twist because the kind of kickboxing we’re talking about here is called Sanda, which is a modified Chinese version of the sport.

However, a serious back injury would derail Zhang Weili’s Sanda career, forcing her to retire. Thereafter, she did many odd jobs because of her parent’s hesitance to let her compete due to concerns about their daughter’s health. But a determined Weili convinced her parents, and when she saw Ronda Rousey, everything changed and her MMA journey took shape.

“When I saw Ronda Rousey become UFC champion in 2013, I thought it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Zhang Weili told ‘Fighters Only’ magazine. “I loved everything about the way she represented herself and I realized when she won the UFC belt that this is what I wanted and that I also wanted to be UFC champion.”

Zhang Weili is now back in the winning column with four wins in a row. Meanwhile, her UFC 312 opponent has yet to taste defeat in her career so far. Could ‘Magnum’ be the one to hand Tatiana Suarez her first professional defeat? That remains to be seen.