The UFC has announced that the 2020 strawweight title fight between Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame's Fight Wing as part of the class of 2026. This marks the first women's bout to receive the honor. The announcement came during the UFC 326 broadcast.
UFC officials revealed on March 7, 2026, during the UFC 326 event that the co-main event bout from UFC 248 between champion Zhang Weili and challenger Joanna Jedrzejczyk will join the UFC Hall of Fame. The fight, held on March 7, 2020, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, was a five-round strawweight title defense that ended with Zhang retaining her belt via split decision.
Zhang entered with a 20-1 record and a 20-fight winning streak, having recently defeated Jessica Andrade to become the first Chinese UFC champion. Jedrzejczyk, with a 16-3 record, had prior victories over Andrade and Carla Esparza. The matchup featured intense striking exchanges, with the fighters combining for 351 significant strikes—the most in a women's UFC contest and third-highest in UFC title fight history. Judges unanimously scored only one round, highlighting the closeness of the battle.
UFC President and CEO Dana White praised the fight, stating, “The fight between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili at UFC 248 is one of the greatest fights I’ve ever seen. This fight was incredible. You had two talented savages that wanted the strawweight title more than anything and neither one of them backed down during this fight. I knew this was going to be a badass fight and it absolutely delivered. Congrats to Joanna and Weili on a fight that will always be remembered!”
The bout received Fight of the Year awards from outlets including Yahoo! Sports, MMA Junkie, MMA Fighting, The Athletic, BT Sport, CBS Sports, and Fighters Only World MMA Awards. It was the fourth time Jedrzejczyk exceeded 180 significant strikes in a fight and her eighth over 100. A rematch occurred at UFC 275 on June 12, 2022, in Singapore, where Zhang won by second-round knockout via spinning backfist. The induction ceremony is scheduled for summer 2026, making this the first women's fight enshrined. Jedrzejczyk, already in the Modern Wing from 2024, shares the 2026 class with Dominick Cruz.
