Tecia Torres will attempt to resume her climb back up the strawweight division at UFC 235, but she’ll have to due it against a formidable up-and-comer.
The UFC announced Thursday the “Tiny Tornado” will meet Weili Zhang at the March 2 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Torres (10-3) got off to a fine start in the UFC, winning six of her first seven fights, peaking with a decision win over Michelle Waterson at UFC 218. But the Colorado Springs-based competitor has dropped dropped back-to-back unanimous decisions since, losing to Jessica Andrade and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Zhang (18-1), meanwhile, is one of China’s fastest-rising MMA stars. The 29-year-old has won 18 straight bouts after dropping her pro debut, which includes both of her fights in the UFC. Zhang turned heads with an opening-round submission of veteran Jessica Aguilar just last weekend at UFC Beijing. Zhang has 16 finishes among her 18 career victories.
The bout is the first officially announced for UFC 235.
