The event took place in Shenzen, China, marking the first time the UFC had ventured to the city and the sixth time the promotion had held an event in the Asian nation. It also coincided with the opening of the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai and signaled what would be the beginning of a wave of talent from China beginning to matriculate to the biggest stage in the sport.
At the time, there were a handful of fighters from China that had been competing inside the Octagon — welterweights Li Jingliang and Song Kenan, bantamweight Wu Yanan, and fellow strawweight Yan Xiaonan — but no one had managed to break into title contention. Li established himself as a Top 15 fighter in the treacherous 170-pound weight class, but stumbled when presented with the opportunity to ascend into the upper echelon, and now here was Zhang, in her fourth UFC appearance, fighting on home soil for championship gold against a decorated standout, and she made sure to make the most of it.
RELATED: Namajunas Regains The Strawweight Belt | Nunes Becomes A Double-Champ
The champion Andrade came out as she typically does, looking to walk Zhang down, and the challenger responded by landing a series of low kicks to the inside of the Brazilian’s lead leg. On a dime, the bout shifted into a brawl, with Andrade looking to land power hooks in the pocket, only to get countered by a stinging right from Zhang that instantly put her on shaky footing.
Andrade looked to clinch out of desperation and Zhang unloaded on her, battering the dazed titleholder with elbows and knees to the midsection before chasing her across the cage with heavy hands, felling the champion along the fence and forcing the stoppage.
