Joanna Jedrzejczyk will get another opportunity to regain the women’s strawweight title in 2020.
The former longtime champion will challenge Weili Zhang for the 115-pound strap at UFC 248 which takes place on March 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It will be the Pole’s second attempt at regaining the title following her knockout defeat to Rose Namajunas in 2017. She would lose their subsequent rematch in a close unanimous decision loss.
Zhang, meanwhile, recently rose to prominence with her impressive first-round TKO victory over Jessica Andrade at UFC Shenzhen in August to become the new champion.
Her first title defense will not be an easy task against the formidable Jedrzejczyk, who is coming off a dominant unanimous decision victory over Michelle Waterson.
However, oddsmakers are giving her the edge.
You can check out the opening odds below:
- Weili Zhang: -175
- Joanna Jedrzejczyk: +135
That means you would have to bet $175 to win $100 on Zhang, while a $100 stake on Jedrzejczyk would win you $135.
Zhang is undefeated in 20 fights and has dominated the competition since arriving in the UFC. Given her upset win over Andrade, it makes sense for oddsmakers to give her the nod.
As for Jedrzejczyk, this is the first time she has opened as an underdog at strawweight since becoming the champion back in 2015.
Here are the opening odds for the pair’s last five fights:
Weili Zhang last five fights
- vs. Jessica Andrade (W): +170
- vs. Tecia Torres (W): -165
- vs. Jessica Aguilar (W): -175
- vs. Danielle Taylor (W): -245
- vs. Bianca Sattelmayer (W): N/A
Joanna Jedrzejczyk last five fights
- vs. Michelle Waterson (W): -350
- vs. Valentina Shevchenko (L): +250
- vs. Tecia Torres (W): -385
- vs. Rose Namajunas (L): -225
- vs. Rose Namajunas (L): -450