Bate-Estaca arrives in a rival country and seeks his first belt defense

J. Andrade poses with his belt in China. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @jessicammapro

Although it's not full of big stars, Ultimate is close to making history this Saturday (31) with UFC Shenzen. For this weekend's event, the organization's management, for the first time, is taking a card with a title fight involved to China. The Brazilian Jessica Andrade will defend, for the first time, her strawweight title (up to 52,1kg.) against the local athlete, Weili Zhang. One of the company's plans is to expand business to the most populous country in the world.

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In the main fight, the women exchange strength to find out whether the belt will stay in China, or return with 'Bate-Estaca' to Brazil. If she wins, the woman from Paraná will maintain the Tupiniquim country as the greatest representative of female martial arts today, which today also has Amanda nunes as holder of two belts (cocks and feathers).

PUBLICITY:

In addition to Andrade, Brazil will be represented by four more athletes. Elizeu Capoeira is responsible for stirring up the public in the co-main fight of the night against the host, li jingliang, in a fight valid for welterweights (up to 77kg.). The other fighters are Thiago Moses, Karol Rosa and Lara Procópio, who face each other in the first fight of the night.

Jessica x Zhang

Andrade will step into the octagon this Saturday with enormous responsibility. In addition to trying to overcome the pressure of carrying out the first defense of her UFC title, the fighter will have to overcome the qualities of her opponent and overcome the negative fans of an audience that will probably support the home athlete.

PUBLICITY:

Weili, Bate-Estaca's opponent, comes from an impressive series of 18 consecutive fights without knowing what it's like to lose. His only defeat in his career came in 2013, right in his debut as a professional mixed martial arts athlete. After the episode, the Chinese qualified her game and became an athlete who, today, is in the position of challenging for an Ultimate title.

The Brazilian, despite her younger age, enters the fight taking with her a record that gives her more experience than her rival. Bate-Estaca, in addition to his 26 career fights, has 15 fights for the UFC and two fights for the organization's belt. Before hitting Rose namajunas, UFC 237, the fighter had an unsuccessful attempt to become champion, when she was beaten by Joanna jędrzejczykIn 2017.

PUBLICITY:

The setback for the Pole was the last in the career of the Paraná native who, today, is the most dangerous strawweight on the planet.

Capoeira x Li Jingliang

Before the duel between Andrade and Weili, spectators can expect another good fight at the event. In the co-main fight, the Brazilian Elizeu Capoeira accepted the challenge of facing li jingliang.

With the ambition of becoming one of the highest ranked athletes in the division, which is currently dominated by the Nigerian Kamaru Usman, the man from Paraná accepted the fight against a less experienced opponent, but who will have an entire country in his corner.

PUBLICITY:

The Brazilian is in a great phase in his career. The fight against Li will mark Elizeu's ninth appearance for the UFC, where the athlete was only defeated in his debut for the company, in 2015. This means that the man from Paraná has been undefeated for seven fights and more than four years.

His opponent is also in a good phase. Li has not been defeated in two fights. The meeting with the Brazilian will mark the athlete's tenth appearance for Ultimate.

Duel between Brazilian debutants

Brazilian athletes, Karol Rosa and Lara Procópio will have the responsibility of, in addition to representing the Brazilian colors, promoting the first fight of the event.

Karol will make her UFC debut and will try to expand her triumphs and carry forward her dream of becoming, one day, the champion of the division, which is currently dominated by her compatriot Amanda nunes. The woman from Espírito Santo is having her third fight of the year and is trying to take away Procópio's unbeaten record.

Just like Rosa, Lara also makes her debut in Ultimate. With six wins and no losses in her career, the Nova União fighter arrives in China representing Minas Gerais and is looking for her first triumph since signing a contract with the UFC.

As the event will take place in China, the card's time will be different from those commonly followed. The preliminary card will start in the early hours of Friday to Saturday and is scheduled to start at 4 am (Brasília time).