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          Virna Jandiroba, Mackenzie Dern to fight for Zhang Weili's 115-pound title

          • Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 29, 2025, 12:41 PM
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          Longtime UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili has vacated her title in anticipation of a move to flyweight, and the UFC has already booked its next matchup for her belt.

          Virna Jandiroba (22-3) will face Mackenzie Dern (15-5) for the vacant 115-pound title at UFC 321 on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi. UFC CEO Dana White announced the fight Thursday.

          Zhang (26-3) left the division to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title at UFC 322 on Nov. 15 in New York.

          The title fight is a rematch of a bout from December 2020. Dern defeated Jandiroba via unanimous decision in a three-round contest.

          Jandiroba has gone 6-1 since that meeting in 2020, including an active five-fight win streak. Dern's path has been more up and down, with a record of 5-4. Despite the uneven record, Dern has looked good in her past two performances, recording wins over Loopy Godinez and Amanda Ribas.

          A heavyweight title fight between Tom Aspinall (15-3) and Ciryl Gane (13-2) will headline UFC 321 at Etihad Arena. White also announced a bantamweight matchup between former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov (18-1) and Mario Bautista (16-2) for the event.