Yazmin Jauregui sees the UFC women’s strawweight division finally have some consistency at the top.
The unbeaten prospect doesn’t think the championship will continue to change hands, as has been the case for the category in recent years. In the past four years, the UFC’s 115-pound title has been exchanged five times. The most recent example came earlier this month, when Zhang Weili dethroned Carla Esparza in the co-main event of UFC 281 in New York.
Jauregui (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) feels the Chinese fighter is positioned to be champion for the foreseeable future, including if she has a third fight with Rose Namajunas, whom she’s lost against twice already.
“I do feel like she’s going to keep her belt for a while,” Jauregui told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “Look, Rose is a very smart fighter and very strategic, but Weili is aggressive, and she’s not scared of anything. I think if Weili uses her smarts in the sense that she doesn’t fall in the game of Namajunas’, then she’s going to take the fight.
“I recently watched a fight between Marina Rodriguez and Amanda Lemos, and Lemos is coming hard. She could be a fighter that gives Weili a bit of war because she’s got a punch. She’s got a big punch and that could be a good fight down the line. But besides that, sincerely, I don’t see anyone beating her until it’s our turn.”
Jauregui returns for her second UFC fight on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 42, which takes place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., and airs on ESPN/streams on ESPN+. The 23-year-old takes on Istela Nunes (6-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) with hopes to follow her successful debut with a win in her sophomore octagon appearance.
Despite her youth, Jauregui made it clear she is on the hunt for UFC gold. She knows she first needs to climb the ladder, though, and there’s plenty of work to do. But for now, all she can do is sit back and admire the work of the champion, whom she respects very much.
“Weili is crazy, crazy,” Jauregui said “She’s a fighter who doesn’t fear anything, not even the ground game. She just goes in there and does her job. She has a lot of speed, she’s very aggressive, and she’s doing things very, very well. I think Weili is going to defend her belt two or three more fights.
“The fight (against Esparza), Weili stood out and looked very aggressive. She took the fight very well. From what I can see, she’s a very disciplined fighter, and she loves the sport. And that’s the result of all that.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.
