Aljamain Sterling, Zhang Weili Poised For Title Defenses At UFC 292

The UFC is making its grand return to Boston, Massachusetts with UFC 292 on August 19 and it will be headlined by two title defenses of epic proportions in the bantamweight and women's strawweight divisions.

In the main event, defending UFC bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling will have, what he himself claimed to be, his last-ever fight in the division due to his age getting in the way of cutting weight.

Sterling has spent the entirety of his UFC career fighting under 135 pounds and will look to solidify his legacy with having the most consecutive title defenses by beating No. 2-ranked Sean O'Malley.

"Sugar" has steadily been building himself an impressive resume with his knockout win of Eddie Wineland being the bout that made him a legitimate competitor in their eyes.

Though he would go on to lose to Marlon Vera in a shocking first-round TKO, he would bounce back harder with four straight victories, the latest being a hard-fought split decision win over former bantamweight champ Petr Yan in October 2022.

With legacy on the line for the reigning champion, the hungry rising star has his eyes set on making a massive statement victory in front of the crowd at the famed TD Garden.

For the co-main event, China's first-ever UFC champion Zhang Weili will have her hands full in a clash against No. 4-ranked Amanda Lemos.

Despite having back-to-back losses to Rose Namajunas in 2021, Zhang's reputation as the monster of the precedes her after racking up 23 wins (11 by knockout, eight by submission) to just three losses.

Her last fight saw her reclaim the UFC strawweight belt after locking in a rear-naked choke on Carla Esparza in November 2022, further showing that "Magnum" has a lot left in the tank at age 33.

"Amandinha," 36, has been on a roll herself after pulling off a submission victory against Michelle Waterson in July 2022 before following it up with a monstrous TKO win over Marina Rodrigues on November 5.

A win for Zhang will serve to improve her growing UFC legacy while an upset for Lemos allows her to add her own name to the long list of champions that Brazil has produced through the years.

Both women have astounding power in their hands and because of their track record of taking out their opponents with ease, it now becomes a question of who among them will pull the trigger first.

UFC 292 also features cannot-miss fights like Geoff Neal and Ian Machado Garry's welterweight tilt and former UFC bantamweight king Cody Garbrandt's revenge tour against Mario Bautista.

Also happening at UFC 292 is the return of former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman for his first bout back in the cage after two years of inaction due to a gruesome leg fracture and will take on Brad Tavares.

The full card can be viewed below:

• (C) Aljamain Sterling versus Sean O'Malley (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
• (C) Zhang Weili versus Amanda Lemos (UFC Strawweight Championship)
• Geoff Neal versus Ian Machado Garry (Welterweight)
• Cody Garbrandt versus Mario Bautista (Bantamweight)
• Chris Weidman versus Brad Tavares (Middleweight)
• Andre Petroski versus Gerald Meerschaert (Middleweight)
• Andrea Lee versus Natalia Silva (Women's Flyweight)
• Gregory Rodrigues versus Denis Tiuliulin (Middleweight)
• Karine Silva versus Maryna Moroz (Women's Flyweight)