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Zhang Weili became the first ever Chinese and East Asian fighter to be crowned as a UFC Champion, when she snatched the women's Strawweight title from Jessica Andrade at UFC Fight Night 157 on August 31, 2019 in her home country China.
In an interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN discussing the past year and what the future holds for UFC, President Dana White opened up about what he thought of Weili's Championship.
Dana White: She's going to be a massive star
When asked what he thought was the significance of Weili winning the belt coming from that area of the world, White summed it up in one word - 'Huge.'
Weili is set to defend her title for the first time against former Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk next year in Las Vegas. White brought that up as well, saying what an impact it would have on the people watching back in China to see a fighter coming out of there fighting in Vegas.
"She'll fight and try to defend her belt here in Vegas, is what I want, so we'll see how that plays out. When you have somebody who's from another country and they're on the rise, when you start fighting in Vegas, it makes a big impact on them at home. "
White added that if Weili successfully defends her belt and continues to do so regularly, there is no stopping her from becoming one of the biggest stars in the promotion ever.
"She just did this show in China where 1.3 billion people watched it. If she can continue to defend that belt, she's going to be a massive star. Maybe one of the biggest stars ever in UFC history."
The title fight will take place at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
