MMA Preview – Carla Esparza vs Weili Zhang at UFC 281
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CARLA ESPARZA VS WEILI ZHANG FACTS
When is UFC 281? Sunday 13th November, 2022 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 281? Madison Square Garden, New York, (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 281? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 281
What channel is UFC 281 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC 281? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
CARLA ESPARZA VS WEILI ZHANG LOWDOWN
Not many people predicted that Carla Esparza (19-6) would rise through to sit back at the top of the littered strawweight division. She thoroughly deserved her title shot after earning classic narrow decisions over Virna Jandiroba (2019), Alexa Grasso (2020), Michelle Waterson (2020) and Marina Rodriguez (2020) before TKOing Xiaonan Yan. That cemented her title shot and rematch with Rose Namajunas back in May. She beat her on the Ultimate Fighter seven years ago, but this fight did not live up to any expectation. It was uneventful with both ladies afraid to pull the trigger, but someone had to win it with Esparza getting the spit decision.
Weili Zhang’s (22-3) fights with Namajunas were far from uneventful. The first fight was for Zhang’s title in April last year and she ate a picture-perfect head kick in the first round to lose her crown and snap her 21-fight win streak. They met six months later and Zhang gave a much better account of herself but failed to convince two judges falling short in an exciting split decision. However, she bounced back spectacularly in another rematch. After putting on the best fight in strawweight history with Joanna Jedrzejczyk (2020) winning a split decision that could have gone either way, she left zero doubt this time with a majestic spinning backfist knockout.
CARLA ESPARZA VS WEILI ZHANG PREDICTION
We all know what to expect from Esparza and that will be to get Zhang to the deck and keep her there. Zhang is clearly a different class on the feet with technique to match her power.
Esparza needs to be aggressive even if that means walking into fire. If she is passive again, the damage and output of Zhang in between takedown attempts will make it an easy decision for the judges. If Esparza can clamp her down and assume control time in at least two rounds, she can snatch another decision to keep her belt.
However, Zhang is a very strong grappler. She is arguably the most powerful strawweight on the roster which will allow her to stuff the majority of takedowns and create enough space to unleash her arsenal on the feet.
Esparza is such a persistent and high-level wrestler that we can see her having success with the odd takedown. However, unlike Namajunas, while they are on the feet, Zhang will be proactive and find a home for her hands. She also has the power to scramble and post back up.
It is hard to see Esparza pinning Zhang down long enough to sway the judges and there is such a gap when it comes to speed and striking that Zhang could even find the knockout.
Prediction: Zhang via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Zhang via KO/TKO
