History To Be Made Saturday At UFC Fight Night 157

History will happen this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 157, as the promotion debuts in Shenzhen.

And the UFC is bringing an interesting contest to the region for the headline act.

UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade will defend her title against Weili Zhang from inside the Shenzhen Universade Sports Centre Arena in Guangdong, China. The card airs live on ESPN+ after prelims on ESPN.

The 27-year-old Andrade makes her first defense since winning the belt in impressive fashion back at UFC 237 in May with a second round knockout via slam over Rose Namajunas. She has won four in a row, including victories over Namajunas, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Tecia Torres and Claudia Gadelha since a five-round decision loss to then-champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Related: UFC 237 Results: Jessica Andrade Slams Way To Championship

Andrade will also be returning the favor, as she won the belt from Namajunas in her native country of Brazil.

Zhang, a 30-year-old from China, has picked up three consecutive wins inside the Octagon since signing with the UFC, topping Torres, Jessica Aguilar via submission and Danielle Taylor. Overall, she is 19-1, winning 19 consecutive fights since a decision loss in her pro debut in 2013.

Prelims Feature Several Fresh Faces

The card will have a distinct Chinese flavor, as Li Jingliang meets Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the co-main event. Other bouts scheduled include Kai Kara-France vs. Mark De La Rosa, Zhenhong Lu vs. Movsar Evolev and Yanan Wu vs. Mizuki Inoue to complete the main card.

The prelims are filled with new fighters for the most part with Andre Soukhamthath, Derrick Krantz and Kenan Song among the notable names.

Below is the current fight card for the event, which bright and early at 3 a.m. ET Saturday morning on ESPN with the prelims and continues on ESPN+ with the main card at 6 a.m. ET.

UFC Fight Night 157: Andrade Vs. Zhang

MAIN CARD

UFC Strawweight Championship
Jessica Andrade (c) vs. Weili Zhang

Welterweight: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Li Jingliang

Flyweight: Kai Kara-France vs. Mark De La Rosa

Featherweight: Zhenhong Lu vs. Movsar Evoloev

Female Flyweight: Yanan Wu vs. Mizuki Inoue

PRELIMINARY CARD

Welterweight: Kenan Song vs. Derrick Krantz

Middleweight: Anthony Hernandez vs. Jun Yong Park

Bantamweight: Mudaerji Su vs. Andre Soukhamthath

Light Heavyweight: Da Un Jung vs. Khadis Ibragimov

Lightweight: Damir Ismagulov vs. Thiago Moises

Female Bantamweight: Karolline Rosa Cavedo vs. Lara Fritzen Procopio

Bantamweight: Batgerel Danaa vs. Heili Alateng

Dana Becker

The world of MMA is one of the few sports that brings together people from all walks of life. I try my best to tell those stories and also present breaking news to the masses.