‘A great athlete won’t be defeated by’ booing, fighter says of UFC 268’s Zhang Weili

A fighter the caliber of Zhang Weili must tune out the crowd noice ahead of her Rose Namajunas rematch at UFC 268.

Namajunas vs. Zhang 2 serves as the co-main event for UFC 268, which will take place inside Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., this upcoming weekend (Sat., Nov. 6, 2021), streaming online via ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV). Zhang, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s Strawweight champion, accused Namajunas of turning the crowd against her with anti-communist rhetoric targeting Zhang.

“The Leech” Jingliang Li knows a thing or two about getting booed by fans.

LIVE! Watch UFC 295 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

TWO TITLES UP FOR GRABS! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sat., Nov. 11, 2023, with a re-worked pay-per-view (PPV) main card. In the ESPN+-streamed main event, former 205-pound roost-ruler, Jiri Prochazka, will lock horns with ex-Middleweight kingpin, Alex Pereira, for the promotion’s vacant Light Heavyweight title. In UFC 295’s co-main event, top-ranked Heavyweight contenders, Sergei Pavlovich (No. 2) and Tom Aspinall (No. 4), will collide for the interim strap after division champion, Jon Jones, was injured with a torn pectoral muscle and forced to withdraw (video).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

• STREAM UFC 295

“I think it’s normal because it’s not my first time competing in a foreign country. It’s not the first time the audience may boo me. I think it’s very normal,” Jingliang told MMAMania.com prior to his fight with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 267 (recap here). “It’s not about how people support me or not. The only thing that matters is if you trust yourself, if your team supports you.

“A great team, a great athlete won’t be defeated by all the booing,” he concluded.

Jingliang was steamrolled by Chimaev (watch highlights), which took place inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates this past weekend (Sat., Oct. 30, 2021).

UFC 268 is headlined by a bad blood UFC Welterweight title rematch pitting defending champion Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington. Other big bouts on the card include Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler, Shane Burgos vs. Billy Quarantillo, Frankie Edgar vs. Marlon Vera and Al Iaquinta vs. Bobby Green, plus the UFC debut of former two-division GLORY kickboxing champion Alex Pereira.

Finished reading this story? The party doesn’t have to stop. Click here to get more exclusive interviews.