On Wednesday, Zhang Weili said at a news conference that spectators should be ready for a “spectacular moment” on Saturday night. Her moment came quickly, as Zhang used a rear naked choke in the second round to win the strawweight championship, her second time winning the title. Zhang cartwheeled around the ring after the win as the crowd erupted.
Carla Esparza is one of the longest-tenured U.F.C. fighters and was the inaugural strawweight champion in 2014, but seemed outmatched on Saturday night. Esparza was booed the entire fight and had been one of the least popular champions among fans because of her unaggressive approach in her last win.