Ronda Rousey has voiced her support for Zhang Weili ahead of Zhang’s UFC 322 co-main event showdown against flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
With two title fights topping the Madison Square Garden card, Zhang vs. Shevchenko is being hailed as one of the biggest women’s bouts in MMA history. Ahead of the fight, Rousey—widely regarded as the most influential woman in UFC history—sent Zhang an encouraging video message.
Rousey told Zhang she’s not just representing herself, but also her country and every woman in the sport. She urged her to “steal the show” and prove she’s the biggest attraction of the night. Rousey added that future generations of female fighters won’t care who wins, only that Zhang shows the world the excitement women bring to MMA.
Both Zhang and Shevchenko successfully made championship weight, making their flyweight title fight official for UFC 322.
The message comes on the 10-year anniversary of Rousey’s shocking title loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193, where Rousey was defeated for the first time after previously finishing all 11 of her opponents in the first round.
