Matchmaking for Alex Pereira, Max Holloway other UFC 300 winners

Zhang Weili

The strawweight queen had to fight through adversity but was able to defend her belt in the China vs. China matchup, utilizing her grappling to neutralize Yan Xiaonan. Now entering the third title defense in her second championship reign, Weili does not have an abundance of available contenders and will likely have just one name offered to her.

Tatiana Suarez was intended to face Amanda Lemos at UFC 298 but got injured once again and was replaced by Mackenzie Dern. But given the landscape of the 115-pound division, Suarez is not only the undefeated no. 3 contender with a dominant win over another top-five opponent but seems to be the only woman standing.

Of the women in the division's top five, Weili has already faced and beaten three of them: Xiaonan, Lemos and Jessica Andrade. That would leave just Suarez and Virna Jandiroba as her remaining top-ranked contenders and the UFC push has been completely behind the 10-0 former Pan American wrestling champion.

Suarez has been a top contender since she dominated Carla Esparza in 2018 but has been riddled with injuries since, fighting just twice since 2019. Even though she was supposed to face Lemos in February, timing is now on her side and though the nature of her injury was not made public, Weili will likely be looking to return in late 2024, giving Suarez time to return to form.