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".

The storming victory triggered a rousing reaction from her fellow pros and pundits alike.

"Total domination!! Zhang Weili is a true savage! I'm never betting against her #ufc292," British light heavyweight fighter Jimi Manuwa posted on Instagram.

"Weili completely dominated every round #AndStill #UFC292," women's flyweight contender Tracy Cortez of the US posted on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.

After securing her fourth title-fight triumph, Zhang can now be considered the undisputed queen in the division, but now an intriguing match-up against countrywoman Yan Xiaonan appears to be in the making.

Known as "Fury" in the Octagon, Yan, who owns an 18-3 all-time record, features a similar attacking style to Zhang as an exceptional striker.

With recent back-to-back victories over Mackenzie Dern and Andrade, Yan has punched her way back into title contention in the strawweight class, setting herself on a collision course to a showdown with Zhang.

Zhang has expressed an interest in fighting her compatriot, especially with the hyped match-up expected to lead the Las Vegas-based promotion back to China — possibly in December.

Fighting in front of their home fans again four years after the UFC's last live event in China is an appealing prospect for all concerned, both Zhang and Yan reckoned.

"It's been so many years since we had a fight on home soil. Chinese MMA fans for sure have been so eager to see the action back and feel the energy again," Zhang said in the build-up to Saturday's bout.

Yan also indicated that UFC is considering a return to China.

"I met (UFC president) Dana (White) in the locker room after the fight and he said, 'Let's do it in China.' So if we can make a UFC China event happen, let's pull it up," Yan told online show The MMA Hour after her first-round stoppage of Andrade in May.

"I think it's possible, yeah, probably at some point at the end of this year."

"China vs China championship! How the sport has grown. #UFCBoston," retired welterweight fighter and commentator Alan Jouban tweeted after Zhang's triumph on Saturday.

American contender Tatiana Suarez also stands out as a reasonable challenger after building a perfect 10-0 record, but the allure of pitting two homegrown stars against each other on Chinese soil could push Yan to the front of the line.

Either way, Zhang figures to be the favorite.

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