The undisputed queen

Zhang Weili crushes Brazilian challenger to retain UFC strawweight belt in utterly convincing style

Ferocious and ruthless. China's MMA superstar Zhang Weili cemented her second reign of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's strawweight division with a performance of a total dominance against challenger Amanda Lemos on Saturday.

Zhang, who was making her first defense since retaking the title from Carla Esparza in November, sent a strong message to her rivals in the highly competitive division, with the "Magnum" going all out from the opening buzzer to utterly overwhelm and outclass Lemos in every aspect through five rounds en route to a unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 292 at TD Garden in Boston.

Zhang, who first wrested the 115-pound (52-kilogram) belt from Jessica Andrade in 2019, improved to 24-3 as a pro. She also set a record for the biggest striking differential in women's UFC history after out-landing Brazilian Lemos 288 to 21, with her clinch takedowns and ground-and-pound thrilling an enthralled crowd.

"Boston, I feel here is my home. My name is Zhang Weili, I am from China. Do you remember me? I feel the energy you gave me. Thank you everybody for the support, I'm so happy," Zhang worked the raucous crowd in her post-fight interview after the judges scored the fight 50-43, 50-44, 49-45 in her favor.

"I'm not surprised (by the win) because I have a great team. As I've always said, hard training and easy fight," added the 33-year-old native of Central China's Hebei province.

Lemos, who shares the record for most finishes in strawweight at five with her compatriot Andrade and Rose Namajunas of the United States, dropped to 7-3 overall in the UFC.

Zhang's successful defense also won her an extra $50,000 bonus as the "Performance of the Night".