UFC Shenzhen went down today (Sat. August 31, 2019) from the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre. The world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion compiled an excellent card for fight fans to enjoy.
It was headlined by a meeting between UFC women’s strawweight champion Jessica Andrade and challenger Weili Zhang.
Jessica Andrade vs. Weili Zhang
Both fighters came right after each other. Zhang caught her with a right hook then landed a series of knee strikes while in the clinch that led to the champion back peddling and Zhang didn’t give her an inch. Zhang finished her with strikes on the ground to become the new champion.
Li Jingliang vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Jingliang dropped him late in the first round but dos Santos got right back to his feet after eating a straight right hand. The first round saw both welterweights have their moments on the feet. In the third round, Jingliang tuns dos Santos on the feet and drops him for the KO finish with just seconds to go.
Mark De La Rosa vs. Kai Kara-France
De La Rosa was looking for a takedown for the majority of the first round while Kara-France was doing a nice job of staying up. Kara-France slammed him down and landed some good shots before they separated. De La Rosa scored a brief takedown to end the first round. Kara-France cracked him with a straight right hand that dropped De La Rosa but De La Rosa got back to his feet.
Kara-France kicked his legs from under him and landed some big shots. La Rosa started to put combos together in the third round but ate Kara-France landed a serious combo of body to head to a flying knee up against the fence. The judges gave the decision win to Kai Kara-France.
Song Kenan vs. Derrick Krantz
It was a slow paced fight in the early going with Kenan looking to clinch but Krantz just wanted to strike and looking to do so but his dance partner was more technical. Krantz clipped him a few times before eating a head kick. Kenan scored a takedown in the second round but Kenan managed to get his back for a moment.
Krantz managed to shake him off and get to his feet before scoring another takedown. Kenan teased a guillotine choke late in the second round. In the end, the judges gave the win to Kenan.
Mizuki Inoue vs. Wu Yanan
Inoue was walking her down early in the fight but couldn’t find her range and kept getting clipped when she got close. Wu was catching her when they would clinch. There was an early guillotine choke attempt but it was nothing serious. Wu continued to look for hooks but was just landing air.
While this has been an entertaining scrap, neither has landed anything huge. Wu went for a takedown attempt in the third round but Inoue stuffed it and made her pay for it with a combo. Mizuki clipped her with an overhand late in the third round but this one went the distance. In the end, the judges gave the win to Inoue.
It was certain to have a great day of fights from Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Check out MMA News’ UFC Shenzhen results below:
Quick UFC Shenzhen Results
Main Card (ESPN+/6 a.m. ET)
- UFC women’s strawweight title bout: Weili Zhang def. Jessica Andrade by TKO (strikes) in :42 of Round 1
- Welterweight bout: Li Jingliang def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos by TKO (punches) at 4:51 of Round 3
- Flyweight bout: Kai Kara-France def. Mark De La Rosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Welterweight bout: Song Kenan def. Derrick Krantz by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Women’s flyweight bout: Mizuki Inoue def. Wu Yanan by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card (ESPN+/3 a.m. ET)
- Middleweight bout: Anthony Hernandez def. Jun Yong Park via submission (anaconda choke) at 4:39 of R2
- Bantamweight bout: Su Mudaerji def. Andre Soukhamthath via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
- Light heavyweight bout: Da Un Jung def. Khadis Ibragimov via submission (guillotine) at 2:00 of R3
- Lightweight bout: Damir Ismagulov def. Thiago Moises via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Women’s bantamweight bout: Karol Rosa def. Lara Procopio via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Bantamweight bout: Heili Alateng def. Danaa Batgerel via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
