Before their last fight, which “Thug” Rose Namajunas won via first-round knockout, Zhang Weili was subjected by her opponent to “better dead than red” comments about her supposedly communist leanings.
Speaking to The MMA Hour, Weili explained why she believes Namajunas “crossed the line”, and why this fight will be different.
Zhang Weili Fires Back at Rose Namajunas “Better Dead than Red” Comments
“In my mind, yes I think that those comments crossed the line because I think all the audience, all the fighters, we all come together in the UFC because we all share the passion of MMA. In my mind, I’m coming here because I want to make friends because we all have the common love of martial arts.
I think it’s not a good thing to mix sports with politics. But I think that’s maybe her plan. So in the beginning I thought it’s just kind of trash talk and it really didn’t affect me but when I go out to the stadium, I got booed, I think maybe Rose wanted to make those comments just to make the audience boo me.”
Namajunas had previously said that “I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Weili is red, you know, that’s what she represents” before establishing that she “fights for freedom” and “the Christ consciousness”. Namajunas cited her Lithuanian background, and her ancestral homeland’s struggles under communism, as her reason for being so avidly anti-red.
Weili believes she had other motives, as Zhang Weili was loudly booed in Florida at their last fight.
“I think the comments that Rose made, she was successful in making the audience bully me, but again I think that is my own problem because I should concentrate on the fight and not on the audience because I can’t control who the audience likes. I’m becoming more focused on my own fight.”
The pair are set to go again at UFC 268 this November, a rematch that was almost immediately booked after Rose’s stunning knockout win via head kick.
“Maybe there’s still a lot of people who still want to see a real fight between me and Rose! Because last time the fight did not even start.
I’m not really surprised because after the fight I made a statement on social media that I want a rematch and I believe that there’s a lot of the audience that wants to see a rematch. I really appreciate the UFC giving me this opportunity and also Rose for taking this fight.”
Do you think the result will be different this time, or will Rose Namajunas remain in the top spot of the strawweight division? Let us know in the comments.
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